The Msida promenade will soon include a bicycle lane as well as new lighting and upgrading in a new regeneration project announced on Thursday.

Transport Minister Ian Borg said the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC) would be undertaking works from the end of Ta' Xbiex seafront until the open space at Msida creek, a stretch of some 350m.

The works will include widening the pavement, incorporating a cycle lane, a new lighting and irrigation system, as well as the installation of new street furniture.

GHRC chief executive Gino Cauchi said the plans would strike a balance for all stakeholders that make use of the space.

He added that no parking spaces would be lost and that fishermen who had permission to dock in the area would be able to continue to do so once works were completed.

An artist's impression of the Msida works.

Works will cost around €1.6 million and are expected to begin in the coming weeks.

Cauchi added that the corporation would also shortly be launching a new call for tenders for similar works to be carried out on the Pietà side of the promenade.

The new promenade works are a stone's throw away from where Infrastructure Malta plans to build two flyovers at the proposed Msida Creek project.

First announced in 2019, the project will see the construction of two 175-metre long flyovers at the Msida junction, replacing the traffic lights that often see heavy congestion during rush hours.

The project has drawn heavy criticism from stakeholders and NGOs, who cited a number of concerns on how the project would impact the residents living in the surrounding area.

Asked whether the agency had considered pedestrianising the zone instead of building flyovers, Borg said the plans were being reviewed at the Planning Authority.

“Our project does include an element of open space and aims to strike a good balance,” he said.

Msida mayor Margaret Baldacchino Cefai said pedestrianisation was fine in principle, but not feasibly achieved.

“Msida is what it is, you are always going to have the problem of where to divert traffic,” she said.

“Everyone would love the idea of more pedestrian zones, but if we had to do it here, Malta would stop.

“When we used to close the road for feast celebrations, people would tell us ‘you’ve brought the country to a stop’.”

Chamber of Architects president Andre Pizzuto had argued that it was “outrageous” that Infrastructure Malta had issued a call for tenders for the project before processing a planning application.

He said that plans for the area made no sense from an urban planning perspective.

A call for tenders issued in September last year had attracted seven bidders.

The Environment Resources Authority had ruled that an environmental impact assessment would not be necessary for the project as long as a number of conditions are adhered to.