Kappara junction works set to start on April 11

Works on the Kappara junction project are set to start on Aprill 11 and should last at least a year and a half, MaltaToday has learnt.

Preparatory works have been going on since last December, with Transport Malta carrying out asphalting and resurfacing works in localities close to the junction which are expected to carry the heavy traffic once works start.

According to sources, initial work on the Kappara junction will start with landscaping and removal of trees from the roundabout, followed by construction works. 

It is understood that Transport Malta aims to leave as much access through the area as possible, keeping full road closures to the minimum. Drivers can however expect road closures during the night when works intensify.

Whilst Transport Malta is set to meet with stakeholders in the coming days for an information meeting, the transport authority has been drafting alternative routes and studying the impact the works are expected to have on traffic. 

The Kappara junction is one of the heaviest and busiest roads on the island, leading to Gzira, St Julian’s, Sliema, San Gwann, Naxxar and Valletta among others. It is a crucial transport node which drivers take to travel from one side of the island to another but, oftener than not, creates the worst bottlenecks on the island.

When the planning authority approved the project in 2013, a Transport Malta architect had argued that the junction leading to the university would help reduce traffic congestion.

It was estimated that at least 6,000 vehicles pass at peak times, leading to longer waiting times in traffic and travel time.

In parliament, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said that all efforts would be made to leave sections of Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli open to vehicular traffic in a bid to minimise inconveniences. Access to Sliema Road will be closed for different periods whilst vehicles lanes will be narrowed. 

The Kappara junction will be constructed by a Spanish joint venture, SJ Kappara K.V., which signed a €22.4 million contract with the Department of Contracts.

Apart from the construction of the grade separated junction itself, the contract provides for the construction of the merging and diverging lanes to connect the overpass with the adjoining roads, traffic management during the construction works, road construction works including underground infrastructure and street furniture works, the shifting of existing services and installation of new services infrastructure, as well as the design and building of other structures.