A restaurant owner had to close down her business for more than two weeks and was also forced to take a holiday as embellishment work in Strait Street, Valletta, proceeded at a snail’s pace.
Ramona Preca, who runs Palazzo Preca Restaurant, said she had no other option but to halt operations for two weeks, giving workers time to complete the project.
“I had to close down completely. The area in front of the restaurant was a mess. It wouldn’t have been worth opening,” she said when contacted.
“No lunch, no dinners, no money. That’s what I had to face for two whole weeks. I would have expected them to work round the clock to finish the project earlier but, no, we’re in Malta, these things don’t happen, especially in summer,” she said.
Ms Preca, who owns the recently-renovated 15th century palazzo with her father, Charles – the owner of the popular Tal-Familja Restaurant in Marsascala – said that despite being closed, her costs were still running, including paying employees wages.
“Apart from locals, office staff and business meals, we also lost a lot of business from tourists who come here specifically to see Strait Street.
“But what did they find when they came here? A complete mess!”
Even franchise establishment Marks and Spencer saw its sales dwindling because of the project, with a spokesman saying it would have been worse had the shop not had a second entrance on Old Theatre Street in addition to the one on Strait Street.
The spokesman said the authorities had originally promised to allow a passageway where customers could pass, but when the contractor started working the whole road was dug up, with the stretch closed from both sides.
“At this time of the year, it’s quiet but our sales were still affected. It seems that what had been agreed before went out of the window once the project actually started,” he said.
Work on the road started on June 20 with business owners being told it would take between four weeks and two months to complete.
“It’s far too long,” they complained.
When contacted, a Transport Malta spokesman said that working round the clock to complete the work ahead of schedule and reduce the inconvenience was not always possible “because a balance had to be struck between the needs of both the commercial and residential community”.
He insisted that there were instances when work was carried out during the night or over weekends, for example, in St Lucy and Strait streets, but this could not happen on a daily basis.
According to Transport Malta, which is responsible for the Valletta paving project, the surfacing of Strait Street was part of the third phase of the project that began in March and was expected to be completed by October.
Just 3,350 square metres of lava paving have been laid so far, an average of 33 square metres a day over five months.
This phase includes the paving of Archbishop Street (between Republic and Old Bakery streets), Melita Street (between Merchants and Old Battery), Strait Street (between St John’s and St Dominic), St Lucy Street (between Republic and Old Bakery), St Frederick Street, St Christopher Street (between St Paul and Mediterranean), Republic Street (between Archbishop and St Christopher) and Old Treasury Street.
The material being used is lava paving slabs, 10cm thick with a hammered surface.
The spokesman confirmed that no ruins had been found during excavation and that old hard stone material found on site was appropriately cleaned and re-used on the same site, in accordance with instructions issued by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
mxuereb@timesofmalta.com