[WATCH] Kappara project: What to expect in the coming months

The initial phase of works on the €22.5 million Kappara junction project started earlier today with the uprooting of trees by the Armed Forces of Malta. The area will remain open to traffic that shouldn’t be affected for at least the first few weeks of works.

Assisted by a horticulturalist from the United Kingdom, the army will relocate the palm trees from the Kappara roundabout to one of its barracks. Inconvenience to traffic will be minimised as much as possible.

Transport Malta officials have repeatedly stressed on efforts to keep road closures to a minimum and resort to night works when possible.

Preparations for the major project have been going on for several months, with roads to be used as diversion routes resurfaced and widened. 

The first disruptions to traffic are expected later on in the project, during phase two around May. During this period, preparatory works for Enemalta crossings would be underway as well, as works for a temporary supply.

Specific signage will be set up to help drivers take alternative routes, mainly to avoid the area, in reaching the area and leaving the area. Among other routes, drivers will be urged to go through the Birkirkara bypass and the Mater Dei junction. 

A series of modifications were carried out to the roads expected to carry the increase in traffic, which included making roundabouts smaller and roads wider. The junction upgrades should ensure a continuous flow.

The bus lane on the strand – from Sliema, through Gzira and Ta’ Xbiex – will be suspended and the road opened to three lanes. Parking at 90 degrees will be turned into parallel parking in order to create more space. Parking at Rue d’Argens is expected to be temporarily eliminated due to the increased flow of traffic expected.

Transport Malta will however cater for the diminished parking space by finding a park and ride area as an alternative. A shuttle service will be available.

Officials have also planned for the possibility of closing Manwel Dimech Street if Rue D’Argens becomes heavily congested. The closure of Manwel Dimech Street would force vehicles to go through the Strand.

With 90,000 vehicles passing every day through the Kappara bypass, the Kappara junction is one of the heaviest and busiest roads on the island. It leads 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, more often than not, creates the worst bottlenecks on the island.

The project, estimated to reduce traffic load from the roundabout by 50%, includes the construction of the grade-separated junction itself and the construction of the merging and diverging lanes to connect the overpass with the adjoining roads.

New underground infrastructure and a new storm water system will be constructed. Taking advantage of the complete overhaul of the bypass, new Enemalta cables will be laid.

Transport Malta will also be keeping drivers updated through that Maltese Roads Traffic Update (MRTU) application, providing real time information and notices on road closures and traffic status.

The Kappara junction will be constructed by a Spanish joint venture, SJ Kappara K.V., which signed a €22.5 million contract with the Department of Contracts.