Bid to make Floriana main thoroughfare safer

Works have just started along St Anne Street, in Floriana aimed at making this thoroughfare safer and prepare for the launching of the Park-and-Ride scheme.

The works were initially intended to start last month but were postponed to this month in order to avoid creating traffic congestion in the run-up to Christmas, the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) said.

The ADT said statistics for the past three years show that a total of 29 accidents occurred along St Anne Street. Although none were fatal, nine persons were grievously injured. Another 20 sustained slight injuries. The works on this stretch, which are being monitored by ADT road engineers, will therefore involve the correction of the road's super-elevation and skid-resistance to make it safer to use, the authority said.

The project will also involve the redesign of the junction at St Francis Ravelin which will allow buses coming from the Park-and-Ride depot at Crown Works to cross over towards Valletta. Once the Park-and-Ride system becomes operational traffic lights will be installed at this junction.

As a measure to minimise interruptions along St Anne Street, the pelican lights will be switched off later this week. The sub-ways have just been upgraded and better lighting has been installed to make them more user-friendly.

The ADT said every effort was being made to minimise the impact of the works on the public. In the meantime, the following traffic management measures are being implemented:

Drivers proceeding towards Marsa are being advised to use the alternative route through St Francis Ravelin and those going to Sliema and Hamrun will remain unaffected.

The works will take about six weeks to complete.