[WATCH] Paola residents blast waste of funds in resurfacing locality’s square

Paola residents are angry at the fact that the road that goes through the heart of their locality is undergoing repairs only a few years after it was completed.

On Tuesday, MaltaToday spoke to Paola’s residents to ask for their opinion on the remedial works announced this month. In 2020, MaltaToday had reported that the overhaul of Paola’s main square that was completed in 2018 was already peppered with defects.

Almost all those who spoke to this newspaper had similar choice words for the ongoing remedial works, with some calling it “a farce” while others blasted the waste of funds for the works.

Despite this, almost all residents agreed that the road in question should have an asphalt surface instead of a cobblestone surface. On Monday, the architect responsible for the square’s revamp expressed his disappointment on Facebook Tuesday morning, criticising the authorities for resurfacing the square's road with asphalt and replacing the original cobblestone paving laid just over five years ago.

Paola square underwent a €3 million revamp five years ago (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

The residents complained of uneven surfaces as the cobblestone street started to collapse under the weight of the heavy traffic which now flows through Paola. One man said that he had to be careful when crossing the cobblestone street as it had become uneven.

“I prefer it this way, now they are fixing it at least. It was all a waste of money,” one resident said.

Others said they can already see the improvement from how it was just a week ago.

“It was sloped all over,” a resident said. “From the start you could see it wasn’t done properly. I had to be extra careful every time I crossed the road.”