Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said on Tuesday that alternatives for a proposed tunnel beneath the main road of San Ġwann are still being assessed.

The tunnel had originally been proposed by the government as a Project Green initiative to reduce emissions in the heart of the town and introduce more open green spaces.

Plans to transform the road and San Ġwann’s Vjal ir-Rihan into a 7,200-square metre green zone were submitted to the Planning Authority in 2023, nine months after the project was announced.  

But last September, a Project Green spokesperson said that the proposed underpass was “being actively reassessed and no final decisions have been taken at this stage”.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Albert Buttigieg (PN), Dalli said that alternatives to an underpass were still being discussed. 

Santa Venera road roofing project

PN MP Darren Carabott also asked Dalli for an update on plans to roof part of Regional Road in Santa Venera leading to the tunnels.

The plans were announced years ago by then Environment Minister José Herrera, and provided for a garden on the new roof.  

Dalli said that planning works were ongoing to ensure that the project was carried out in the best possible way.

But with regard to the timeline she added that it would not make sense to close this busy road whilst the nearby Msida Creek project was in hand as it would create traffic congestion.

Carabott insisted for a timeline, but Dalli said that she had replied to his question.

Last year, lands minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi also failed to provide a timeline for when works will begin on this project.

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