Updated 12.42pm with video

Students returning to St Aloysius College after the summer holidays have been greeted with roadworks described as ‘a war zone’ by one parent.

When Times of Malta paid a visit on Thursday, students in uniform were skirting the works and road construction machinery in front of their school.

The reconstruction of that part of Old Railway Road started last month, Infrastructure Malta confirmed. The street is one of the first 120 that the agency is rebuilding in a Malta-wide street-repair project.

Parents have expressed frustration, however, that the works did not take place during the holidays.

“I pass by the area every day and I can tell you it’s been dead all summer,” one parent said.

I pass by the area every day and I can tell you it’s been dead all summer

“Now when the school is busy again, there’s a huge mess, there are trucks everywhere. There’s nowhere to park and a lot of congestion,” he said, adding that the place looked like a “war zone”.

A parent also expressed concern about the safety of students, who are having to walk close to the machinery and the roadworks, which have been simply cordoned off by plastic safety barriers.

A spokesperson for Infrastructure Malta said that before starting the works, it had consulted the College administration and discussed several measures to ensure students’ safety.

“We asked our contractors to allocate additional resources to keep a safe passage for students and visitors entering or leaving the college and its grounds,” the spokesperson added.

Asked by Times of Malta when the works would be completed, the spokesperson said they were working with contractors to finish in the shortest time possible.

The college administration was informed of all developments and where necessary, work schedules were altered, he said.

The rector of St Aloysius had not replied to questions by the time of writing.