Smart City road: more studies requested over 17,000 daily car trips

The Planning Authority has requested that Smart City undertake ‘capacity assessments’ on the three main junctions outside Xgħajra to establish whether they can cope with the anticipated increase in car trips generated by the project.

The Planning Authority is presently considering changes to the masterplan for the Smart City development, originally approved in 2009, which will change the way the space is zoned: a 124,500 sq.m reduction in office space, a 94,650 sq.m increase in commercial space – including a hospital, schools and a hotel – and an increase in residential units from 334 to 1,060 units.

The PA now wants studies on the traffic impact on the Hompesch roundabout, the Triq Bormla-Triq Fata junction,and the Triq San Dwardu-Triq Santa Liberata junction.

Traffic studies from the original masterplan, based on UK studies, had suggested the development would generate 33,583 daily car trips, on average.

But the figure was later revised to 18,247 after experts took into account Maltese trip rates for similar projects. The reduction in offices will bring the average daily number of car trips to 17,127 – weekend peak traffic will increase from 995 to 1,241 car trips, while weekly peak traffic will decrease from 2,475 to 1,586 trips.

The original study predicting over 33,500 annual trips underlined the need for “improved strategic road infrastructure” which was considered “essential”.

But the PA now says that despite the lower traffic generation, “this still appears to be the case” – but the nature and scope of these improvements “now needs to be reviewed considering the reduced trip generation forecasts”.

While back in 2007 the problem was addressed by plans for a 640m road that would have entailed the take-up of over 14,500 sq.m of agricutural land, the PA is now asking Smart City to consider Transport Malta’s proposal for a new road made back in 2023.

The new road will link the Notre Dame Gate in Zabbar, passing along the fortifications of the Cottonera Lines, then crossing towards Kalkara, passing by the Capuchin Convent and extending towards Smart City.

This will result in the widening of existing rural footpaths and the creation of a completely new road link, linking the St Louis Bastion and the Capuchin Convent. This would see the take-up of a 155m long stretch of agricultural land.

The new road would have a direct impact on traffic passing from the Triq Bormla and Triq San Dwardu junctions.

Without the road, traffic studies suggest that most trips will pass through the Triq San Dwardu/Triq Santa Liberata junction; vehicles arriving from the Hompesch junction are likely to choose Triq il-Foss/Triq il-Kunsill ta’ L-Ewropa junction to reach Smart City, to avoid Zabbar traffic and the busy signalised junction on Triq tal-Labour.

Although it remains unclear whether the new road is actually needed, the agreement signed by the government with Smart City on the relocation of the American University of Malta campus from Żonqor, includes an obligation on government to construct a new connection road linking Bieb is-Sultan in Żabbar, to the Capuchin’s convent in Kalkara. A planning application for this purpose was submitted by Transport Malta in 2023.

The PA has concluded that a full Transport Scoping Statement (TSS) from Smart City is not required, but it asked the developer ”to establish what the most appropriate road infrastructure, junction redesigns and/or traffic management measures are”, to ensure “adequate access to SmartCity” and “minimal impacts on the surrounding areas.”

The exercise will assess the carrying capacity of the three main junctions of the area. Smart City will also have to present a Green Travel Plan aimed at reducing car trips.

Smart City recently withdrew its application to build 69 new villas along the Xgħajra coastline below Fort St Rocco after the PA’s planning board concluded this will exceed the residential space allocated in the original permit issued in 2009.

The board hinted that it could only consider such an application after a decision is taken on the new masterplan.