According to a preliminary analysis regarding the possibility of a Malta-Gozo undersea road link, carried out by Mott Macdonald, it would take five to seven years to build a tunnel and the cost (at 2010 prices and based on case histories) could be in the range of €156 million to €492 million for a single bore three-lane tunnel on the shortest practical alignment route. Potentially, the project could be co-financed by the EU under the Cohesion Fund.

It was just over a year ago that then parliamentary secretary Chris Said (now Justice, Dialogue and the Family Minister) called for an in-depth technical and financial assessment of the proposal.

Dr Said addressed a press conference at the Maritim Antonine Hotel in Mellieħa yesterday, together with Transport Minister Austin Gatt and Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, saying that the preliminary analysis shows that the project is technically and financially doable.

Dr Gatt stressed that the pre-feasibility study was simply intended as a means of determining whether the project can be implemented in practice.

“More detailed investigative work needs to be carried out to see whether or not we should go for the project. Cabinet has now approved the commissioning of detailed feasibility studies. The government supports the idea of the Gozo-Malta link in principle. The pre-feasibility report indicates four available options. We will support the options that won’t create environmental problems,” he stressed.

Mrs Debono, on her part, said that while Gozo has become more accessible over the years, a Gozo-Malta tunnel would have a particularly positive impact on Gozo’s economy and also on job creation, meaning it would improve people’s quality of life. Job creation in Gozo remains a challenge, she said, adding that further improving accessibility to the island is one of the government’s priorities.

According to the pre-feasibility study – which was secured as part of the EU Jaspers programme of technical assistance to Malta – the proposed tunnel is likely to reduce average journey times between the islands by at least 40 minutes.

Four potential tunnel alignments were assessed at a preliminary, conceptual level. These range in length between six and 10 kilometres, depending on their depth and structural design. The options take into account the engineering and environmental constraints that consultants were able to identify using existing data and information.

The report states that the geology of the project area is potentially complex, with evidence of extensive faulting, and is not well documented.

“A detailed geological and geotechnical investigation is required to determine the optimum tunnel alignment, tunnel form, cost and construction methodology.”

The location, geology and characteristics of the project (contractual, economic, market conditions, regulatory requirements, working practices and local environmental conditions) can have a significant impact on the cost of the project. In this respect, the consultants have estimated costs for the construction of the four different tunnel option alignments based on a case history review of different tunnel types around the world.

Based on the reviewed case studies, the range of costs (in 2010 prices) estimated for the construction of the fixed link is wide, and would depend on ground conditions and other circumstances. The consultants have estimated a range of costs for each tunnel alignment option between €156 million for a single-bore three-land bi-directional tunnel, right up to €1.08 billion for a twin-bore two-lane uni-directional tunnel.

The following are the four options: A 10-kilometre bored tunnel beneath Comino with tunnel portals on the southern slope of the Marfa Ridge in Malta and west of Nadur in Gozo; an 8.2-kilometre bored tunnel beneath Comino with tunnel portals on the southern slop of Marfa Ridge in Malta and north of Mġarr in Gozo; a six-kilometre pre-fabricated immersed tunnel lying partially within the seabed to the east of Comino with tunnel portals near Armier Bay in Malta and Ħondoq ir-Rummien in Gozo; or a 9.2-kilometre tunnel beneath Comino with portals to the west of Mellieħa in Malta and north of Mġarr in Gozo.