One of Mosta’s main roads once again became the centre of works, after the rain which fell in the past two days damaged the newly laid asphalt.

Triq il-Kbira, which stretches from close to Ta’ Qali to the Mosta square, has been the subject of roadworks since November 2020, with the road being closed outright in March 2021, leading to a total reorganisation of how traffic flowed in and out of Mosta and also leading to complaints from residents and businesses situated along the road.

Infrastructure Malta, which is carrying out the works, had blamed the Mosta local council for delays to the works because of a last minute request for additional works and had promised that all works would be completed by the end of summer.

As of late, a layer of asphalt had been laid which allowed the road to be reopened to traffic.

It is understood that the asphalt was laid in order for the road to be open for Mosta’s feast, which is dedicated to St. Mary and which will take place this weekend.

However, the rain which fell in recent days put a spanner in the works.  Flooding affected the area and led to some of the newly laid asphalt to break up.

Some business owners also complained that water had leaked into their establishments as a result of the flooding. 

One particular establishment owner took to Facebook to vent his frustrations on Thursday evening, sharing video footage of water flooding into his shop, and saying that something like this had never happened prior to the roadworks.

The Malta Independent was on site on Friday morning where works were frantically being carried out to repair the damage caused by the rain. 

Patches of asphalt close to the Mosta square – in front of the Nicolo Isouard Band Club - had been ground away, with an asphalt machine on hand to eventually replace the area.  A crowd of onlookers – patrons of the band club – were also gathered, sharing less than complimentary comments on the nature of the works and on how long the saga had been going on for.

Works were also being done slightly further up the road, where a mechanical digger was digging through the newly laid asphalt.  A similar hole had already been dug close to the band club, with a hose pipe leading from there to an open drain cover on the other side of the road.

Replying to questions from The Malta Independent, Infrastructure Malta said that the reconstruction of the street was put on hold for a few weeks, as agreed with Local Council and stakeholders related to activities planned within the area. 

“The street was temporarily paved with concrete and asphalt until its final surface, including several layers of asphalt, can be laid when works continue in coming weeks. This week’s rainfall damaged parts of the temporary asphalt and concrete applied to render the road safe for the temporary reopening,” the roads agency said. 

 

In this regard, the final asphalt surface of the road (which is yet to be laid) was not damaged, Infrastructure Malta said.

Mosta’s mayor Chris Grech was also on site while the works were ongoing.