Most people either visiting or living and working in Malta have, at some point, passed through the area we are calling the Central Link: the stretch of road starting from the MFSA offices in Mrieħel to the roundabout just below Saqqajja Hill between Ta’ Qali and Attard.
For thousands of people, this 4.3 kilometre-long road is an important part of their daily commute and they know and experience the consequences of congestion caused by the outdated and inadequate design of this important road. To make matters worse, thousands of residents living in the village cores of Attard, Balzan, Lija and Birkirkara have to suffer from poor air quality and noise pollution caused by the lines of cars queuing to pass through their residential roads in an attempt to avoid the traffic.
This is not what we want for the people. What we want – and what we are working tirelessly for – is a better quality of life, which has always been at the very top of this Government’s agenda. This is the reason why we are making decisions to invest in our country’s infrastructure; it is the reason why we are investing in community projects and in restoration projects, and why we are rebuilding our country’s residential roads.
Whilst we cannot afford to let our quiet, picturesque and very residential village cores become centres of traffic, we surely cannot allow our road-users to continue wasting more and more of their time on the road, when we could provide an efficient infrastructure as befits the 21st century.
An easy feat? Not at all, as it is good to keep in mind that we are not dealing with the problems of today. Our ancestors foresaw the consequences of the ill-designed Attard Bypass which, at the time, served its purpose but which would eventually grow to be very outdated. The Central Link Project has been planned on paper since the time of Prime Minister Borg Olivier – over 60 years.
There is one difference, however, in the way we think. Today, Malta does not have a Government that decides to ignore shelved projects, or a Government that plans solutions on paper only to leave them shelved until it is far too late to use them. Today, the country does not have a Government that is afraid to make decisions.
Today, the Government plans and acts on its plans and today the Government is not afraid to discuss its plans with the people and, where possible, to improve and build on what it has put on paper to better the investment. We act and we offer our people solutions for their present obstacles, whilst planning ahead for the future. The Central Link Project does precisely this. Here we have an essential investment that will rebuild 13 junctions and eliminate four traffic light systems. Seven kilometres of new lanes will be added along the route and we have also planned a number of facilities for alternative means, with the longest separate cycle lane planned for this project, together with safe facilities for public transport users and several footpaths for pedestrians.
Our plans for this project do not differ from our other investments around the country’s road network: we are planning safer junctions, greater efficiency and, yes, an aesthetically beautiful area with improved air quality.
The most important quantifiable benefits of this project are perhaps a 50 per cent reduction in travelling time as soon as the project is finished, together with a reduction of up to 66 per cent in particulate matter and up to 41 per cent in nitrogen dioxide by 2030. More than 51,000 square metres of passages and landscaped areas with trees and plants will be developed, while – contrary to what many have said in recent months – at the end of the project the area will have more trees than are there at present.
In spite of opposition from several groups of people, earlier this month the Central Link Project was confirmed for the fifth time. After the Planning Authority approved plans, the EU Commission approved funding, the Environment and Planning Tribunal gave their green light and the Courts of Law rejected a request to temporarily stop the project last December, the Court of Appeals has rejected an appeal against it: five confirmations. Yet, the most comforting acceptance of this project is the support the majority of Malta’s citizens have expressed for it in a recent survey.
The Central Link Project is not just another notch in the Government’s belt. That is not how we plan our investments. It is not how we prioritise our infrastructural endeavours. The Central Link Project is an absolute necessity. Just ask the thousands of daily commuters who will arrive home earlier and the thousands of residents who will come back to more peaceful homes and quiet residential roads.
Our determination to work hard and improve the quality of life of all Maltese and Gozitan people will not fizzle out. We are more energetic than ever, and we will continue planning, working and delivering important projects – from the narrowest alley to the longest link on the island. Our people are our priority and our work for them will continue.
Ian Borg is Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects