The Kappara junction roundabout works by Enemalta were a model of how things should be done when it comes to infrastructure projects.

Motorists recoiled in horror last week as it was announced that works to the junction would be taking place to upgrade Enemalta’s distribution network. With the Coast Road nightmares fresh in the memory, motorists envisaged gridlock on Monday morning on the way to work. But it was no worse than usual. Let’s be clear, it was no worse than usual, but it was still nose to tail from Santa Venera all the way to Kappara junction – that is normal.

But this time around, the work was carried out at night, with personnel on site at all times to ensure that the job would be completed overnight and to direct traffic accordingly. By the time morning came, the trenching works were covered over and traffic was moving along all three lanes.

It is understandable, of course, that major projects, such as the Kappara flyover, the Marsa flyover and the Coast Road have to continue throughout the day and that the area needs to be closed off to traffic. However, we must ask why there is no bigger shift to work carried out at night. This does not only have to be limited to roadworks. There has been a small shift in this regard. More and more small projects seem to be taking place at night, including replacing damaged lamp posts, crash barriers and embellishment works. Of course, noisy works cannot take place at night in residential areas, but with arterial roads, the situation is different.

This has many benefits, with the primary one being that there is not much traffic on the roads at night. However, there are others and one of those is the health of the workers who normally have to toil in the blistering sun in the summer months.

Let us hope that the practice of carrying out works at night will continue. However, safety must also be ensured. At the best of times, even during the day, warning signs are only put up a few metres ahead of where the work is to take place. When such projects are carried out at night, there needs to be ample lighting present as well as prominent warning signs that show motorists (or pedestrians for that matter) that there are works coming up ahead.

Both Enemalta and Transport Malta deserve a pat on the back for this one. The works were finished overnight, as promised and only one lane was closed at any given time. This should be taken as a textbook case and all other projects should be carried out on the same model.