Infrastructure Malta will start drilling for the Gudja roundabout underpass on Friday, the agency said in a Facebook post.

The project forms part of the Kirkop tunnels and airport intersection project.

IM said that the southbound carriageway of Aviation Avenue will be closed for the coming months.

The agency urged drivers to be cautious and follow diversion signs.

The €18 million project includes the redevelopment of this critical junction of the Maltese road network to reduce travel times and accident risks to commuters travelling through the Kirkop Tunnels, to and from Kirkop, Mqabba, Qrendi, Zurrieq and Safi, whilst introducing new facilities for alternative modes of travel. It will also improve access to the Malta International Airport and to the Malta Freeport, two strategic locations for several sectors of the Maltese economy, IM had said when it launched the project.

This project will transform the roundabout into a grade-separated intersection with direct connections to and from the different routes converging at this junction, it said.
At the lower level, two new tunnels beneath the roundabout will create a direct link between the southbound and northbound carriageways of L-Avjazzjoni Avenue and Hal Far Road. These tunnels will allow road users, including heavy vehicles, travelling to and from Birzebbuga, the Freeport and the Hal Far Industrial Zone, to bypass the roundabout.

Infrastructure Malta will rebuild the existing roundabout in an improved design to facilitate access to and from Gudja, Ghaxaq and the Airport. The existing bypass lane for northbound travel from the Kirkop Tunnels to L-Avjazzjoni Avenue will also be rebuilt to continue cutting journey times along this route as well.

The third level of the intersection will incorporate a new flyover bridging the southbound carriageway of L-Avjazzjoni Avenue with L-Ewwel Titjira Road, towards the Kirkop Tunnels. Commuters heading to Kirkop, Mqabba, Qrendi, Zurrieq and Safi will no longer need to enter the roundabout to reach the Kirkop Tunnels.