Transport Minister to meet Chamber of Architects to discuss Msida creek proposal in coming days

Transport Minister Chris Bonett said Monday he will be meeting with the Chamber of Architects to discuss their proposed project for the Msida creek in further detail in the coming days.

On his Facebook page on Monday, Bonett said that he noted the different reactions to the Chamber’s proposal for the Msida creek project, which he said that he could not, and did not want to ignore.

On Sunday, the Chamber of Architects unveiled new conceptual plans for the junction at Msida creek, which is set to see two flyovers built across it as part of Infrastructure Malta plans. The Chamber is proposing the removal of the flyovers, as well as to transform the core of the locality into a 20,000 square metre park.

“The proposal that has appeared in the media consists of one or two designs that, although visually pleasing, personally raise a number of questions for me about traffic management,” Bonett said, adding that it also raises a question on what freedom he has, at this stage, to vary or change the original project, and what legal and financial consequences there might be.

Bonett reminded that the planning for the project began around five years ago, and several changes have been made to it, with wide consultation conducted. He said that after this whole process, a public tender was issued, which was won by a consortium and the contract was signed.

“I will be meeting with the Chamber of Architects in the coming days to discuss this project in some detail,” Bonett said, adding that he is the first one to want this project to be the best it can possibly be.