Mellieha bypass to be completed before summer

Rebuilding of the Mellieha bypass has begun and is expected to be completed by the beginning of summer.

The €2 million project commenced after after Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg instructed Transport Malta’s Roads and Infrastructure Directorate to redesign the bypass.

The bypass, or Triq Louis Wettinger, is being built with the aim of ensuring safety for all users, with new crash barriers on the outer edges of the carriageway and a new central strip with crash barriers dividing the lanes in opposite directions being installed.

“Work on the infrastructure of our country’s roads does not only need to be efficient and high in quality, it also needs to be flexible enough to continuously understand our country’s needs, and the needs of all those who travel on our roads, and where necessary, have the ability to adjust and improve its plans,” Borg said, explaining that after considering the concerns put forth by residents, it was clear that the Mellieha bypass could be improved.

“In this way, we transformed a challenge into an opportunity for an investment in a better designed road, with several more safety facilities for drivers, cyclists, and all those who use it,” he said.

The road will also have a new system of lamps installed on poles, and the bypass will feature a 1.4-kilometre-long cycle lane. The project also includes the redesign of some of the junctions connecting this road to others which open up into it, such as the Mizieb road and other roads which lead to residential zones in Mellieha.

Also expected to be completed next summer is a project which aims to strengthen the Mistra bridge, which was at risk of collapsing, as well as repairs on parts of the Selmun Hill.