Commuters driving through the Marsa Junction this weekend have been advised to expect diversions, as works continue to open another three flyovers by next month. 

The three flyovers on track to be completed are part of a structure which will connect Aldo Moro Road southbound to Garibaldi Road southbound and Santa Lucija Avenue southbound.

Opening the three new flyovers will allow workers to complete the three other flyovers which were opened last year by adding a final layer of asphalt and expansion joints. When that is done, the flyovers will be reopened for traffic.

That will leave just one flyover out of the seven planned to be completed – a smaller structure linking Santa Luċija Avenue northbound to the Addolorata cemetery/Garibaldi road/Qormi area. 

Deviations ahead

Meanwhile, motorists travelling through parts of the junction will be rerouted as of this week. Deviations include a new northbound link from Sir Paul Boffa Avenue to Aldo Moro Road and the temporary rerouting of the northbound carriageway of Giuseppe Garibaldi Road to an adjacent road through the Marsa Industrial Estate.    

Road deviations will increase between this month and October, as workers shift existing lanes to complete remaining works in different areas of the project. 

Roughly 70% of the €70 million EU-funded project has been completed so far, with Infrastructure Malta saying that it remains on track to complete works by the end of the year, despite some setbacks caused by the COVID-19 slowdown.  

Contractors are now working on adding access ramps to connect flyovers to the roads converging at the Marsa Junction, including Aldo Moro Road, Santa Luċija Avenue and Giuseppe Garibaldi Road. Five other ramps are already in place. 

Photo: Infrastructure Malta

Apart from the flyovers, contractors are also building new roads at ground level to improve travel to and from Paola’s Sir Paul Boffa Avenue, two new park and ride areas and the Addolorata cemetery, among others. 

Infrastructure Malta estimates it will take 17,000 tonnes of asphalt to lay the surfaces of over 12 kilometres of new lanes the project is adding.  

The agency has also modified project plans to include a 10-metre underpass to allow safer travel for pedestrians and cyclists between Paola and Marsa. Two underground reservoirs will harvest 1.5 million litres of water to irrigate newly-landscaped areas, Infrastructure Malta said.