€2.5 million upgrade of busy Marsa arterial roads to start soon

A €2.5 million project to upgrade parts of the busy Marsa roads of Triq Aldo Moro, Triq Dicembru 13 and the Marsa-Hamrun Bypass will be starting in the coming days, aiming to improve travel time along these routes and eliminate several accident black spots.

The Transport Ministry said the investment would be linking the Santa Lucija roundabout tunnels project and the Marsa Junction Project at the Addolorata Cemetery area of Triq Aldo Moro, with the Marsa-Hamrun Bypass project.

The Ministry highlighted that the project would improve the safety, efficiency and quality of the last remaining stretch of the four-kilometre arterial route from Triq tal-Barrani in Tarxien towards the Santa Venera tunnels at the Mriehel Bypass.

“The rest of this principal road link to and from the southern part of Malta is being upgraded through other ongoing or upcoming projects, including the new roads and flyovers of the Marsa Junction Project and the development of the new Santa Lucija roundabout underpass linking Vjal Santa Lucija with Triq tal-Barrani. 

Work should be completed before school starts

The preparatory works for the project should start in the next few days, with the objective of having it complete by the end of summer, before the start of the next scholastic year.

Triq Aldo Moro’s roundabout junction at the Salib tal-Marsa area will be redesigned and upgraded, while parts of Triq Dicembru 13 and the Marsa-Hamrun Bypass will be widened.

Several dedicated lanes to facilitate safer connections between the these three arterial roads will also be created.

The one-lane slip road linking the north-bound carriageway of Triq Dicembru 13 to the Marsa-Hamrun Bypass will be widened to accommodate two dedicated lanes, the Ministry said.

The slip road linking the south-bound carriageway of this road to the bypass will be upgraded to a continuous lane, to reduce the risk of collisions, it said.

The Triq Aldo Moro roundabout junction at the Salib tal-Marsa area will also be redesigned to facilitate safer connections.

“New public parking areas will be developed at the Salib tal-Marsa area, whilst existing landscaped areas will be enlarged and embellished with new trees and other plants,” the Ministry said.

“Fifty-six eucalyptus trees - an invasive species, along part of Triq Dicembru 13 - will be replaced by 113 new indigenous trees at different areas along the project route. A few indigenous trees that need to be displaced for safety reasons will be replanted in other nearby areas,” it underlined.

Disruptions to be minimised

The Transport Ministry has said that several contractors will be carrying out the required work at different parts of the route simultaneously.

“Transport Malta’s Roads and Infrastructure Directorate is coordinating these works to minimise disruptions to road users and inconveniences to nearby residents and businesses,” the ministry maintained.

It encouraged road users to follow the directions indicated by roadside signage and Transport Malta officers along the route.

“Transport Malta is also liaising with the relevant entities, including environmental authorities and the Marsa Local Council, to constantly optimise implementation plans and schedules,” the ministry indicated.

The project was planned earlier this year to tackle the last remaining bottlenecks along this Tarxien-Paola-Marsa-Santa Venera-Mrieħel link, Transport Minister Ian Borg said.

“The ongoing optimisation of our arterial road network will facilitate the daily travels of thousands of road users, eliminating difficulties which we have been facing for many years,” Borg underscored.

“Upgrading the quality and safety of our road infrastructure forms part of a long-term plan to achieve long-term, sustainable solutions for land transport in Malta and Gozo,” he emphasised.

“It complements other important ongoing investments to develop and consolidate efficient, yet environmentally-friendly modes of transport and to provide the necessary incentives and resources to encourage more road users to start using them for their daily commutes,” the minister added.