Infrastructural works at the airport roundabout are now completed and the area has been opened to traffic while the main road at the Luqa intersection, further up, will be completed by the end of June.

Infrastructure Malta boss Ivan Falzon on Monday acknowledged delays in the project but said work on the Kirkop tunnels was now completed and a handover from the building contractor to the roads agency will take place in the coming days.

This will then be followed by embellishment and landscaping works. 

The €18 million investment is meant to provide quicker and safer connections. Photo: Christ Sant Fournier

The €18 million investment in the area, announced in 2019, is meant to provide quicker and safer connections between Luqa, Gudja, Birżebbuġa, Kirkop, Mqabba, Qrendi, Żurrieq and Safi.

The project, covering 88,000 square metres, was meant to be completed by the end of April but works on major water mains and weather disruptions caused some delays.

"Today we can celebrate a major milestone, impossible to achieve without the input of many, including government workers and contractors," Falzon said. 

"The project caused inconvenience, but the country will see its benefits in the years to come as it will facilitate access to the airport and the freeport," he added.

The Luqa project will create five lanes at what is known as the Dinitrol roundabout. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The ongoing work at the Luqa junction, further up the road, is 70 per cent complete.

The €11 million Luqa project began in September and will create five lanes at what is known as the Dinitrol roundabout.

The project includes a one-lane tunnel and a one-lane flyover.

Work on the tunnel is expected to be completed by the end of summer.

Asked by Times of Malta whether the project could be completed before if work was carried out over longer periods throughout the day, Falzon said that only some of the work can be carried out around the clock because of the inconvenience it caused residents. At the same time, workers were restricted by shortage in supplies of goods such as concrete. 

"I can assure you that we are working extended hours whenever possible," he said. 

Work on a tunnel at the Luqa roundabout is expected to be completed by the end of summer. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

He said work on the Għadira project was going according to plan.