“The Kamra tal-Periti has not been provided with a copy of said regulations, and the only information we have so far is the following: (a) The Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects which one can find here; and (b) The Ministerial Statement read in Parliament by the Minister, together with the subsequent questions and answers, which one can follow here (minute 32.20 onwards),” the press statement says.

The Council of the Kamra tal-Periti says that “there is a lack of clarity between the principles made in the statement and certain statements made in Parliament,” while also notes that in the absence of having a copy of the Legal Notice in hand, “it is premature for the council to comment further at this stage,” according to the press statement sent to BM.

The Kamra sent a letter to the minister, asking to clarify a number of points. At the same time, the Kamra also asked for a meeting prior to the publication of the legal notice.

“Periti [Maltese word for architects] have been requested to inform their clients that the Legal Notice is expected to come into force today and that any obligations arising therefrom will be applicable to any ongoing demolition, excavation and construction works as per Ministerial Statement,” the press release adds.

After the walls of three buildings collapsed in the past two months in Malta near construction sites, forcing the government to temporarily halt demolition and excavation works, the Kamra called for an extraordinary general meeting. Prior to the EGM the Kamra published its preliminary position, and after the EGM the Kamra pledged commitment to improving the public safety of citizens and urged the government to enter discussions with the association. The Kamra also welcomed the recent listing of licensed masons published on the website of the Building Regulation Office (BRO).

The post Kamra tal-Periti sends letter to minister to clarify new regulations first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The project includes the introduction of a new system of culverts connecting to an existing reservoir together with another reservoir that will be built as part of the same project, as well as work towards the regeneration of the village square.

The first phase of the project included a new stormwater culvert system with around 830 metres of pipes which will direct rainwater from the square to a new reservoir that will be built in the second phase and with a capacity of around 11,000 cubic metres, which system will also connect to a number of grilles along the width of the roads in question, Ministry Permanent Secretary Christopher Cutajar said. He added that service cables will be removed from facades in the square and new paving will be installed.

“This is a project that will improve infrastructure in Mqabba, a sustainable project which will embellish this locality while considering the needs of the community. Finally, this project will improve quality of life in Mqabba and that is our primary goal,” Mr Cutajar said.

Upon announcing the completion of the first phase, Ian Borg, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, talked about plans for the regeneration of the village square that he described as an important community meeting space. The minister also praised the cooperation between the government and the local councils, according to the DOI press release.

“We are committed to seeing to improvements on every level in our country. The government is committed to raising the level of our country’s infrastructure – road infrastructure, facility infrastructure and public spaces infrastructure, among others,” Mr Borg said.

Mayor Charlene Muscat tagged the project as an “unprecedented investment in Mqabba”.

The post Mqabba regeneration’s first phase winds up first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The €70m investment aims to upgrade the principal road link to the southern parts of Malta and ease traffic pressure over the Marsa junction — an essential crossing for traffic to and from the airport —, an area of which often sees long queues during the morning and evening peak hours.

According to Mr Borg, the current project is the most substantial investment on any single artery in the Maltese road network, and expectations are high that it will transform how the country looks at infrastructure. Malta has seen an increasing amount of congestions on its roads, chiefly fueled by a quickly expanding economy.

The currently one-level intersection will be turned into a multi-level one, the tallest flyover rising above four storeys in surpassing the flyovers below it. “The widest of the seven structures will include four vehicle lanes, which will fork into two different flyovers, each with two lanes,” the press statement issued by the government’s Department of Information (DOI) says.

In addition to the flyovers, another 12 km of new or reconstructed lanes, grade-separated at three different levels, is expected to create direct northbound and southbound connections.

“This development will eliminate traffic lights waiting times, and related congestion emissions, for over 100,000 road users who travel through this junction every day,” minister Borg says, according to the press statement by the DOI. “This is a project which has been long awaited by the thousands of residents and workers whom every day need to travel to and from the south, and who for years suffered from unbearable traffic congestion and poor air quality. Our country could never continue functioning with an infrastructure which is not coherent in relation to our times and in relation to the demands of our times. An appropriate infrastructure is essential for our country to continue progressing. Less time in traffic quantifies into economic gain for the individual, companies and Maltese and Gozitan families,” the minister says in the press statement.

This third phase will also add over 1.6 kilometres of new footpaths and cycle lanes connecting Marsa and Paola, as well as includes three pedestrian bridges, four new bus laybys, 0.6 kilometres bus lanes and a 380-space park and ride facility.

The first phase of the project started at the end of 2017, with the second phase coming to completion late last year.

The Marsa Junction Project is co-financed through the EU’s Cohesion Fund and Connecting Europe Facility, the press statement notes.

“Our mission is to plan and execute the ongoing optimisation of the road network and other public infrastructure in the Maltese Islands, to ensure they can sustainably and dynamically support the country’s current and future economic, environmental and social development,” Infrastructure Malta says on its official Facebook page.

The post Marsa Junction Project enters phase three first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.