[WATCH] The making of the Kappara bridge girders

Transport Malta will tonight begin testing a route that trailers carrying steel girders for the Kappara bridge will take to the site.  

Transport Malta will soon start building the deck of Kappara bridge, that will make use of steel girders to form the base of the deck. Eight girders for each direction will extend between the piers throughout the whole extent of the flyover, with the largest girder being almost 30 metres long.

The girders, which were constructed by a Spanish firm, will arrive at the site of the former Ship Building in the coming days and will be transported to the Kappara site in trailers.

According to Transport Malta, the size of the girders makes it a challenge to transport them by road. Therefore, it said, it has planned a route for the trailers from Marsa to the Kappara site, driving through Triq il-Labour, Triq Aldo Moro, the Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass, Regional Road and Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli.

One of the trailers will be testing out the route at 10:00pm this evening and is expected to take around three hours to make the trip.

The trailer will be driving on the right hand side carriageway since, according to Transport Malta, it is easier to manoeuvre the heavy payload. 

The road will be closed in segments to allow drivers to drive through alternative routes for the segment and go unimpeded for the rest of the route.

Police and Transport Malta officers will be closing the segments and guiding drivers to bypass the closed segments through alternative routes.

Personnel from Civil Protection, Enemalta and the contractor will be making the route as well to cater for eventualities.