More than 150 residents and farmers from the Qormi-Mrieħel area are calling for the Prime Minister's intervention in the "Mrieħel flyover and road-widening saga".

In an open letter (attached in a pdf link below), they asked Robert Abela, who they say is from Qormi, to directly intervene in the project.

“We are greatly concerned about the impact that this infrastructural project will have not only on us as residents, but also on the rest of our locality, Qormi, which is also your locality,” the letter reads.

Plans to expand the Mrieħel bypass with a new flyover were revealed by Moviment Graffitti in December leading to a widespread outcry from NGOs, residents and President emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca. 

This led the Qormi council to come up with alternative plans, which envisage an underpass replacing the proposed flyover without the loss of large amounts of farmland.

A plan of the alternative being proposed by the Qormi council. Photo: daaa haus

These plans have been welcomed by those who had opposed the project as proposed by IM.

Infrastructure Malta's plans are to expand the Mrieħel bypass with a new flyover, taking up more than 20 tumoli of agricultural land, the equivalent of three football pitches.

They also include the removal of a €1 million pedestrian footbridge built and installed above the bypass just two years ago.

In their letter, the residents and farmers requested Abela to consider the council's alternative plans, stating that these would solve the traffic safety issue at the Mrieħel junction, a problem often quoted by Infrastructure Malta.

They complain that IM chief Frederick Azzopardi only agreed to meet them following several requests and during the meetings he was "dismissive", giving the impression that their concerns were being ignored.

Azzopardi, they charged, also lied about the project on state media and residents did not have the opportunity to intervene.

“You can just imagine the pressure this has placed on our health and wellbeing,” the residents said.