Smart City road link will displace 5,000 cubic metres of soil

A new road linking Bieb is-Sultan in Żabbar to Smart City will displace 5,000 cubic metres of soil, requiring farmland to be expropriated. The soil will be re-used in nearby fields.

Transport Malta’s project statement to the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), which is currently determining whether the project requires an Environment Impact Assessment, was prepared by the environmental consultancy firm Crowdnet, owned by architect William Lewis.

The statement hailed the project as a “significant milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses in our communities”, concluding that “numerous benefits are anticipated” from the project, including improved safety for all road users, better traffic flows and the promotion of alternative modes of transport.

New roadworks explained

The proposed road will upgrade Trejqet il-Fata by transforming the existing rough vehicular route into a dual carriageway, with separate northbound and southbound lanes, complemented by a bi-directional cycle lane and a footway.

The new road is being proposed along the historical bastion of St James. To protect the visual integrity of the fort, the cycle and pedestrian lanes will be positioned lower than the new elevated vehicular route.

The upgraded route will connect to Triq Santa Liberata through a new stretch encroaching on agricultural fields, featuring a dual carriageway, a 3m cycle lane, and a 1.3m footway.

Triq il-Missjoni Taljana will remain a single carriageway, with added cycling and pedestrian facilities, including a narrow vegetation strip for safety.

Existing priority junctions at Triq il-Missjoni Taljana and Triq Joseph Calleja will be transformed into roundabouts to improve traffic flow by providing smoother turning manoeuvres for vehicles and reducing the likelihood of congestion and accidents. According to the PDS, the project will enhance road safety and accessibility for cyclists, pedestrians, and public transport users while addressing blind spots and accident risks.

Project justification

The new route is intended to reduce vehicular traffic within residential areas in Kalkara, Birgu, and Żabbar by providing direct access to Smart City, which will include new dwellings and hotels, the Institute of Tourism Studies, the American University of Malta, shopping malls, a primary and secondary school, and a private hospital.

Upon completion, the bypass is expected to significantly reduce vehicular emissions in the Cottonera town centres. “It is thought that the new proposed bypass will shift these vehicles from the residential and communal contexts of these adjoining localities to the new proposed route on the outskirts,” the report states.

The project design underwent consultations with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage due to its proximity to historically significant sites, such as the San Ġakbu bastions. Measures to prevent damage to these structures include adjusting road alignments, creating adequate buffers, and separating active mobility lanes from main traffic to preserve historical vistas. The project also incorporates stormwater culverts, hydrodynamic separators, and vegetation strips, which aim to maintain the natural landscape and prevent soil erosion. Rubble walls will either be preserved or reconstructed.

Government obliged to build new road

The agreement with Smart City on the relocation of the American University of Malta campus from Żonqor approved by parliament in 2022, includes an obligation on government to construct a new connection road linking Bieb is-Sultan in Żabbar, to the Capuchin’s convent in Kalkara.

Despite the take-up of a substantial amount of agricultural land, the latest proposal represents a sharp departure from a proposed 643m-long road passing right through the Tal-Fata agricultural area proposed in 2007, which would have involved the take-up of a staggering 14,500sq.m of agricultural land.