7 - 13 June 2001

Current road works to cost over Lm15m

by Ivan Brincat

Road works currently under way in various parts of the island will cost over Lm15m and this is considered to be the biggest sum ever spent on road repairs at one time.
Transport and Communications Minister Censu Galea told The Malta Business Weekly yesterday that work on various arterial roads currently under way is the result of months of hard planning work.
“We have been preparing for all this work at one time for a number of months. We knew it would take time until the tenders were processed and the adjudication period was completed,” he said.
The decision to start work concurrently on two roads leading to Bugibba and St Paul’s Bay – the Burmarrad road and the one leading from Salina to San Pawl tat-Targa – had to be taken because work on the two sites can only be done during the summer months.
“It would have been impossible to work during the rainy season because the roads were built on soil. We hope all necessary works will be ready before the beginning of winter.”
That two roads leading to Bugibba would be undergoing construction work at the same time was taken into due consideration, Mr Galea said.
“The decision to repair these two arterial roads at the same time had to be taken even though it comes right in the middle of the tourist season and when thousands of Maltese and foreigners visit these parts of the island.”
Access to St Paul’s Bay is still available from San Pawl tat-Targa to Salina while at Burmarrad, traffic has been redirected to one lane either way.