EPE JV win tender for Msida Creek project

The tender adjudication process for the Msida Creek project has been completed, the Infrastructure Ministry announced on Sunday.

EPE JV who made a bid of €34,700,007.77, were seen as the most suitable for the project. The project is expected to start towards the end of the first half of the year and will be concluded in around 30 months.

“The Msida Creek Project, envisioned to replace the current traffic light junctions with a new flyover, has moved a step closer to realisation. This is the first major road infrastructure project in Malta that integrates a comprehensive 10-year operations and maintenance period,” the ministry said.

 The new junction will see a new 200-metre-long bidirectional flyover directly linking Triq il-Marina with Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli.

The project also foresees a new 2,000sq.m public square near the Msida church.

The controversial project was first proposed in 2019 but plans were substantially revamped in 2022 to allocate more public spaces including a 2,200sq.m public square in front of the church and a water canal. Environmentalists had welcomed the increase in public spaces but objected to the flyover as it still prioritised car traffic over other modes of travel.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bonnet explained how this investment forms part of this government’s commitment to improve the “quality, efficiency, safety and sustainability of road infrastructure.”

“This project has been planned to achieve our objectives of creating a balance between transport needs and recreational spaces that will uplift the area. Therefore, we are providing an infrastructure that not only overcomes the challenges but caters for future needs. This is also emphasised through the obligation on the contractor to provide maintenance of the public spaces for 10 years after works have been concluded. This is the first time this obligation is being placed on an infrastructural project,” he said.