Msida flyover barriers 'easily removed', IM says, as firefighter raises concerns
Agency responds to concerns that emergency services would be unable to respond to an accident
Updated 5.44pm
Barriers dividing the two lanes of the new Msida flyover "can be easily removed" in case of an emergency, Infrastructure Malta said on Thursday after concerns were raised.
The roads-building agency was responding to concerns that fire trucks and ambulances would be unable to respond to an accident due to the design of the overpass.
The 200m-long traffic bridge, which opened on Thursday at midnight links Marina Street in Msida with Mikiel Anton Vassalli Street (the regional road) with a lane in each direction separated by a low barrier.
Firefighter Glen Ciantar was among those who raised concerns.
“I could never understand how single-lane flyovers are permissible. Let us hope that an accident or emergency never occurs on it (which is impossible to ever rule out), because the consequences could be serious and fatal,” he said.
“Imagine the traffic that would form - how would an emergency vehicle reach a seriously injured patient or patients trapped in a burning car, when in an emergency, time is critical for every patient?” Ciantar said.
But a spokesperson for the agency said the barrier provides a very high level of traffic safety.
The curved base of the concrete structure also means that vehicles will suffer no or minimal damage if their tyres touch the barriers.
The barriers are also light, meaning they can be manually lifted up and moved to allow for emergency vehicles, they said.
“This also creates more flexibility to traffic management when compared with other barriers we have in our roads."
Despite their weight and the fact that they are not bolted to the ground, in the event of an impact, the vehicle’s own weight creates additional barrier stability. This helps to optimise protection with a very narrow barrier, IM said.
The barriers are also interlocked.
IM made it clear that all entities, including the Civil Protection Department, were consulted at the design stage, and there were no objections to the proposed road design.
The Nationalist Party branded the project a “monstrosity” claiming it made congestion in Malta “even worse”.
In a statement, the Opposition said that a day after the inauguration, “it is already evident that not only has it failed to solve the traffic problem in the area, but it has actually caused further congestion in several surrounding localities”.
It warned that “even the smallest accident will bring everything to a standstill”.