The final asphalt surface will be laid on the new northbound six-lane carriageway of Triq Aldo Moro, Marsa tonight.
All lanes of this carriageway will be closed between 7pm and 6am on Friday. Road users travelling from the southern part of Malta through Vjal Sir Paul Boffa, Vjal Santa Lucija and Triq Giuseppe Garibaldi, towards Triq Aldo Moro in the direction of Marsa, Qormi and Valletta, will be diverted to nearby diversion routes through Luqa. Police and Transport Malta officials will be stationed at all roads leading to the Addolorata Junction and Triq Aldo Moro, to guide road users to the alternative routes.
Whilst the road is closed, Infrastructure Malta and its contractors will start an 11-hour operation involving over 30 workers. Using six pavers (asphalt laying machines) next to each other, they will cover the 24.8-metre wide carriageway with 800 tonnes of asphalt produced in three different plants during the same night. Once these works are completed tomorrow morning, the second phase of the Marsa Junction Project would be almost ready. The last works, including the road markings of the newly-surfaced carriageway and the installation of road signs and other street furniture, will be completed during the next few days.
Infrastructure Malta is preparing to launch the project’s third phase before the end of the year. This phase includes the construction of the seven flyovers that will replace the Addolorata traffic lights junction.
The first phase of the Marsa Junction Project, including the demolition of two old factories to make way for the new road structures, was completed earlier this year. The reconstruction of Triq il-Gvern Lokali, Triq Guze Gatt (the northern end of Triq il-Gvern Lokali) and the widening and rebuilding of Triq Aldo Moro to a ten-lane road formed part of the second phase.
Beneath these new roads, the contractors developed kilometres of networks of new underground distribution systems for water, electricity, sewage and telecommunications services. The new roads were reinforced with stabilising layers of geotextile and geogrid that reduce the impact of subsurface water infiltration and increase the structures’ lifetime by strengthening the road foundations. New footpaths, cycle lanes, bus lay bys and landscaped areas were also developed as part of this phase.
The €70 million Marsa Junction Project includes the construction of new roads, a seven-flyover multilevel intersection, pedestrian pathways, bicycle lanes, park and ride facilities, landscaped areas and other developments to upgrade the busiest node of the Maltese road network. The project aims to drastically reduce travelling times and congestion emissions in this area by replacing the existing complex traffic lights system with 12 kilometres of new uninterrupted lanes connecting the different routes converging at this junction.
The Marsa Junction Project is co-financed through the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility.
For more information or for assistance, contact Infrastructure Malta on 2334 1000 or info.im@infrastructuremalta.com.