The Regional Road project — which includes the reconstruction and the widening of part of this primary artery between the Tal-Qroqq tunnel and Santa Venera, into six lanes, three in each direction — is in its last phase, the government said in a statement.

The completion of the project will hopefully bring relief to thousands of drivers who for the last weeks have had to endure long traffic jams, in particular during the evenings, as the work was under way.

The Transport Ministry said that over the course of this week, the part of the southern carriageway as you exit from under the Tal-Qroqq tunnels in the direction of Santa Venera was given a first layer of asphalt. In the past days, Infrastructure Malta has also completed all the bridge structure that is over Triq il-Wied in Msida after it finished building the second half of it and covering it with membrane. A retaining wall on the side of the bridge is currently also being constructed.

The central strip was removed and is being replaced with a safer one through the installation of crash barriers known as jersey barriers that limit the consequences in the case of accidents. This concrete crash barrier system was used also in Tal-Balal project for the first time.

“The Regional Road project is another one of a series of projects that we have implemented along this main artery that joins the North of Malta to the South. This is a very important road that was in need of improvement and in a few weeks, before the feast of Santa Marija, this project will be concluded for the benefit of thousands of commuters that use it every day. Working day and night to deliver the benefits of more efficient and secure roads to the people is our priority”, said Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg.

The bridge that was built in the 1970s and which enables the two carriageways on Regional Road to pass over Triq il-Wied in Msida has been reconstructed in order to accommodate the new lanes and to improve the alignment of the road, making it safer and reducing the risks of accidents. The new bridge will be one of the widest structuers of its type in Malta, with a total width of more than 23.5 metres.

The lane that will be added within the Northbound carriageway, from the Santa Venera tunnels towards Msida will be providing safer access from the slip roads that join Triq il-Wied in Msida, Triq il-Ferrovija l-Antika in Birkirkara and Triq Kappillan Mifsud in Santa Venera with Regional road. Further up, part of this new lane has been completed and has been already opened to traffic, in order to minimise the travelling time when one exits from Regional Road into the slip road that leads to Birkirkara Bypass, University of Malta and Mater Dei Hospital.

The other new lane in the Southbound carriageway improves travelling for those vehicles coming from the direction of the ramp that joins the Birkirkara Bypass and the Tal-Qroqq roundabout (near the Skatepark) with Regional Road, as it enables them to proceed directly towards Santa Venera. This lane will also be providing a safer exit from Regional Road onto Triq il-Ferrovija l-Antika and Triq il-Kappillan Mifsud, the two roads that meet at the roundabout between Birkirkara and Santa Venera.

“All these connections are being modified in order to increase safety and efficiency. We plan every investment in the country’s infrastructure with one principal scope – that of maximising the benefits for our people”, said Minister Borg.