Plans for new Kappara junction unveiled

Transport Malta has presented an Environment Planning Statement assessing the impact of the proposed upgrading of the Kappara Junction, which intended to address the congestion problem which characterise the roundabout. 

The two major sticking points for this development remain the encroachment into the protected Wied Ghollieq Valley and the need to expropriate commercial and residential property.

This project has been on the government's agenda since the early-1990s, after its upgrading was identified as a priority project in the Structure Plan.

Transport Malta is considering two options for upgrading this road.

Option A is composed of two levels designed to provide better safety levels and an increased capacity for future traffic flows.

The north-to-south and south-to-north movements along Triq M. A. Vassalli will take place on the upper fully grade separated road, while all other movements would involve the use of a roundabout at the lower level.

Option B involves the replacement of the existing Kappara roundabout by a signalised priority junction (to the west of the junction) and a roundabout junction (to the east of the junction) which would be linked by an overpass over Triq M. A. Vassalli.

These junctions would be situated in Triq tas-Sliema - one to the east and the other to the west of the Triq M. A. Vassalli.

The footprints of both options would be wider than the existing and would entail the encroachment into undeveloped land in the protected Wied Għollieqa - a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of National Importance.

In the case of Option A, the encroachment would cover an area of circa 7,510m2, while Option B would require circa 8,800m2.

Both options also require the expropriation of private residential and commercial properties located to the NE of the existing roundabout.

Option A would encroach of Wied Ghollieqa land in both sides of Triq M. A. Vassalli, and would require the expropriation of commercial and residential properties north-east of the roundabout.

Option B, on the other hand, will encroach on more land in Wied Ghollieqa but would only lead to the expropriation of part of a commercial property.

The proposed development - particularly Option B - appears to alleviate air pollution problems occurring along Triq tas-Sliema-east (i.e. Gżira side) while exacerbating somewhat the levels of NO2 pollution in Triq tas-Sliema west (i.e. Kappara side). The development however should eliminate spikes in NO2 concentrations along Triq tas-Sliema which may exceed the hourly limit of NO2 in the current situation.

This junction is considered one of the major bottlenecks within the Maltese arterial network, especially during the morning and afternoon/evening peak hours.

Triq M. A. Vassalli and Triq tas-Sliema are important links between the north and south/south-east of Malta.

The Kappara Junction currently consists of a standard four-arm roundabout, with its arms being made up of Triq M. A. Vassalli (north and south) and Triq tas-Sliema (east and west).

For many years, the junction has been found to be insufficient for the handling of the constantly increasing traffic loads on both Triq M. A. Vassalli and Triq tas-Sliema, brought about, among other things, by increases in population and per capita private car ownership and the unpopularity of the public transport system.

The benefit of the upgrade is that it would provide for the separation of traffic movements into two groups: north-south and south-north traffic flows along Triq M. A. Vassalli, and the remaining movements, east-west and west-east traffic along Triq tas-Sliema, and all the movements between Triq M. A. Vassalli and Triq tas-Sliema.

This aim can only achieved through the construction of a grade-separated, i.e. multi-level junction, in this case a two-tiered structure, where each level would be allocated for one of the above-mentioned groups of movements.