The Chamber of Architects has released plans for an alternative to the controversial Msida Creek Project that would instead see the busy junction transformed into a tree-filled park.

It wants to ditch the planned flyover and instead transform Msida into a 20,000-square metre park with more than 2,000 trees, claiming it would even improve the traffic flow in the area.

The Kamra tal-Periti (KTP) thinks it can help solve the traffic problems around Msida by instead adding just one slip road to the Regional Road and reorganising the existing road infrastructure to route traffic around the area.

The chamber says its proposal could be completed in less time than the current plans, at no additional cost and with minimal impact to residents during construction, while providing a much-needed green lung in one of the worst-polluted areas of the country.

Asked why it had not submitted the proposal earlier, KTP president Andre Pizzuto – who first raised concerns about the government’s plans for Msida back in 2020 – said the chamber wanted to be involved but had not been consulted.

He stressed that the chamber had not been professionally engaged to work on the project and had worked on its own plans voluntarily, but that it was not too late to consider alternatives with works on the site yet to begin.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; it’s now or never,” he said, urging the government to consider the chamber’s ‘Msida Park Project’ idea.

Work on the Msida Creek project is due to start late next month after the feast of St Joseph.

What is the KTP proposing?

Rather than building a flyover to connect Ix-Xatt Ta’ L-Imsida (the coast road around Pietà) to Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli (leading up to the skatepark), the KTP instead wants to divert traffic further west around the junction close to Valley Road.

Meanwhile, Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli would be closed to cars, with only buses and taxis allowed to use the road in a southbound direction, with the road covered and used for sports grounds and a children’s play area.

The chamber insists the proposal is a more elegant solution that will keep traffic moving, stressing the planned flyover will simply move tailbacks from the existing traffic lights in Msida up to the skatepark and across the flyover.

“The flyover doesn’t solve the problem,” said Pizzuto, who specialises in urban design and planning and who believes that by removing traffic lights altogether traffic will flow quicker and avoid tailbacks.

And by closing Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli to cars, the chamber thinks the skatepark can be expanded and redesigned to offer better facilities to skating enthusiasts by reclaiming existing road surface.

Stressing the KTP proposal “seeks to provide a more sustainable balance,” Pizzuto said the transport needs of the area would be met “while also enhancing the local community’s quality of life”.

“The thrust of our project is about better, sustainable use of land and quality of life,” he said.

Pizzuto said the KTP had spent hundreds of hours working on the plans it says offer a better alternative to those expected to be carried out by Infrastructure Malta next month, noting it was still possible for the government to change course by submitting new plans to the Planning Authority.

He said the change in direction would only delay the start of the project by a few months, with the chamber’s plans realised in much less time, meaning the project could still be completed ahead of schedule.

Why now?

Asked why the chamber had not released its proposal earlier, Pizzuto said its efforts to be involved with the project had been ignored.

“We wanted to contribute to the project, we wanted to meet and provide our insights but that never happened... they [authorities] met with ROTA, NGOs and local councils, but not us,” he said.

The thrust of our project is about better, sustainable use of land and quality of life- Andre Pizzuto

Stressing the chamber had not been engaged to work on the project and that all its work on the alternative proposal had been carried out voluntarily, Pizzuto said it had continued to be disregarded even after producing its plans. 

He said he had informed Infrastructure Minister Chris Bonett about the chamber’s plans but had not had the opportunity to present them to him.

“We look forward to discussing our proposals with the government, Opposition, the newly elected local council, and any other interested parties. It is not too late to modify the instructions to the contractor to execute this more sustainable project.”

He added that while the technical plans had been ready in April, the visualisations – which he said were necessary to properly understand the proposal – needed more time. “We had to go the extra mile to give the public an idea of what we’re proposing.”

‘A desperate attempt’

When contacted, Infrastructure Malta CEO Ivan Falzon said he had never been approached by the KTP and questioned why the chamber had approached the media with the idea.

“Why would the KTP come to news outlets with this and not the authorities?” he said, calling the proposal a “desperate attempt to make the headlines”.

Falzon stressed it was “not standard procedure” for the KTP to be formally brought in on infrastructure projects, asking “where do you draw the line? Why not the Chamber of Commerce or marina representatives?”

Acknowledging that the original plans had found “strong opposition” from residents and NGOs, he said he had invited stakeholders to present their ideas in 2022. “I don’t know why this late awakening.”

Falzon stressed there had been a “clear consultation process” and said Infrastructure Malta was “all ears” for future projects. 

“This time it’s too late, but for the future our door is open,” he said.

Responding to questions, a spokesperson for the Infrastructure Ministry said while the ministry “appreciated” the KTP’s interest in the project, the tendering and adjudication processes had been completed and works would begin next month.

She emphasised that the government “whole-heartedly believes in this project that aims to improve the quality, efficiency, safety and sustainability of Malta’s infrastructure.”

Noting that around 60 per cent of the project was dedicated to public spaces, the spokesperson said it gave a “major upgrade” to the area and was the first major road infrastructure project to include a “comprehensive 10-year operations and maintenance period.

She said it would provide a “pleasant environment for the years to come in the centre of this locality.”

History of the project

The project first hit the headlines in 2019, when then Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg announced plans to build two flyovers at Msida junction.

A tender for the project was issued by Infrastructure Malta the following year, drawing criticism from Pizzuto who slammed the plans as “outrageous” and not making sense from an urban planning point of view.

Instead of building flyovers in the heart of Msida and along a traditional coastal town, authorities should be diverting traffic away from it, he said at the time.

Three months later, a group of NGOs urged former Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia to send the project back to the drawing board and ensure social and environmental impact assessments were carried out.

The controversy prompted a radical redesign of the project the following year, adding a piazza in front of the parish church, parking spaces, solar panels, a canal, pedestrian walkways and bridges.

A new tender for the revised project was issued in August and approved three months later.