[WATCH] Farrugia: Airport project delays ‘beyond anyone’s control’

Delays at the Kirkop Tunnels and Intersection project were beyond anyone’s control, Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia said on Friday.

“There is criticism which I won’t accept, and it is on delays, because you have no control over them,” Farrugia told the media.

The minister was fielding questions from the media on criticism by Labour MEP and former leader Alfred Sant, who called for the better management of infrastructural works in the country.

He said road works being carried out in the vicinity of the airport is confusing and dangerous, calling signage in the area “primitive” and “dangerous” because it is not well-lit.

“It is difficult to say who is responsible for this ġbejna (cheeslet),” Sant said. 

The minister said delays should be attributed to interruptions in the supply chain or archaeological discoveries. During excavation works, archaeological remains known as the Ħal Resqun catacombs were discovered in the area.

"The easiest way out was to close the whole area for traffic. It could have been easier, but we wanted people to keep using the roads especially because of the airport," Farrugia said.

The minister did concede that site management could have been coordinated better during the project, also saying the area could have been lit better.