Bidnija ‘nightmare’ roadworks drag on past June deadline as residents fume
Mosta mayor says works are due to be finished within ‘maximum’ of two weeks
Residents are frustrated that works to rebuild Bidnija’s main road have been ongoing since January, despite an initial June deadline.
Infrastructure Malta (IM) attributed the delays mainly to the installation of new sewage pipes. Mosta mayor Joseph Gatt told Times of Malta such setbacks are common in large projects, particularly since no works had been carried out on this road for 30 years. He said the reconstruction should finally be completed within a “maximum” of two weeks.
For nine months, IM has been rebuilding Triq il-Bidnija, which is the main road connecting the village to Mosta. A noticeboard on site states that the project was scheduled to last 18 weeks from its start on January 30, meaning it should have been completed by early June.
Residents who spoke to Times of Malta on condition of anonymity complained about the inconvenience caused by the delay.
Up until Friday, drivers entering Bidnija from Mosta were allowed to pass through Triq il-Bidnija via a one-way lane. However, residents leaving the village to go towards Mosta were forced to use a narrow concrete country road. Traffic lights were also put up to help direct the traffic. After Times of Malta sent questions to IM, a resident said the traffic lights were taken down and Triq il-Bidnija was opened up for two-way traffic.
Works are still ongoing further up the road towards Bidnija church.
Every time a car passes, it raises a cloud of dust that even enters our homes. With school about to start, the traffic and health concerns will only get worse.- Bahrija resident
The noticeboard on site states that the project was scheduled to last 18 weeks from its start on January 30, meaning it should have been completed by early June.Despite the progress, a resident said the roadworks have “been moving slowly for a considerable number of months”.
Apart from causing inconvenience, a resident said the unfinished road generates a lot of dust, which was even making its way into his home.
“It has been a nightmare,” the resident said. “Every time a car passes, it raises a cloud of dust that even enters our homes. With school about to start, the traffic and health concerns will only get worse.”
The resident added that a relative of theirs suffered from bad hay fever attacks.
“There is so much dust. When I drive through, I cannot even see what’s behind me. The least they could do is spray some water on the road to reduce the amount of dust,” another resident suggested.
Yesterday, after Times of Malta sent questions to IM, workers doused the road with water.
In a statement, IM said “works included the deep trenching for a new sewer trunk main and the addition of a new sewer rising main along the site. This factor has substantially compromised the final completion period of works, being in the critical path of the project.”
Besides this, IM said that as the contractor was instructed to open one lane on the road, this further delayed the project.
On the narrow concrete road, a road rage incident on June 29 led to the death of Jean Paul Busuttil. Mohamed Hamdan is accused of driving the wrong way down the road, colliding with Busuttil, then fatally shooting him after retrieving a firearm from his home.