Motorists driving from Ċirkewwa towards Għadira Bay will be able to use the new single southbound lane by the first week of June, Infrastructure Malta CEO Ivan Falzon said on Tuesday.

Għadira Bay is currently a construction zone, as works continue on an €8 million embellishment project covering the promenade and the road in the 1.6km area from the Seabank Hotel roundabout to the roundabout near the red tower.

The project is a collaboration between the Water Services Corporation and the Malta Tourism Authority, which had proposed upgrading Għadira Bay area back in 2021.

The project was started in January last year with works on the Northbound lane. Works on the southbound road started in October.    

“If all goes to plan, the first week of June will see the southbound lane open for commuters,” Falzon told journalists during a briefing. Works will then be paused and will resume in October when a final layer of asphalt will be laid and more street furniture installed.  

The road from Ċirkewwa to Mellieħa previously had two lanes and its reduction to a single lane has raised fears of traffic congestion, especially due to traffic from the Gozo ferries.

A render of the Għadira roundabout. Photo: Infrastructure Malta

The Gozo Tourism Association was among those who called on the authorities to seriously consider the traffic implications a single-lane road will cause. 

But Infrastructure Malta officials said they were prioritising safety. In order to avoid people crossing, there will be no parking along the north-bound two-lane road. Cars will park alongside the south-bound lane by the beach.

Falzon said that prior to the works, the area lacked basic safe parking areas and proper bus bays where buses could stop and not impact oncoming traffic.   

The project will provide 140 parking bays. The speed limit on both north-bound and south-bound lanes will be 50km/h.

Falzon said the area has seen a number of fatal accidents, and the main priority of the project is road safety. 

“Road safety not just for drivers but also pedestrians and everyone that uses the road,” he said.

Infrastructure Malta CEO Ivan Falzon. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

He said the downhill one-lane southbound section is the area most used by pedestrians. The single-lane stretch will be 500 metres long, right along the beach.

While some people had asked whether the road could be widened to retain the previous lanes, that would have meant either taking up space from the bay or from the nature reserve,” he said.

He said Għadira Bay sees over two million visitors at the peak of summer, as many go to the beaches and walk alongside the promenade. 

Falzon said Infrastructure Malta had noted criticism over the past months when the roads alongside Ghadira Bay were also temporarily one lane because of the works. 

"We take note of the criticism we have received, but if we continue to think in this mentality that we must always widen our roads, we are running out of space."  

He said if there is an issue when it comes to driving to the Gozo ferry, there should be a pre-booking system, which would be a solution for traffic and cars gathering at the port.