Traffic light falls on Coast Road after being damaged by strong winds
Red weather warning in force as Coast Road traffic light collapses
A traffic light on the Coast Road fell on Thursday afternoon after being damaged by strong winds, Transport Malta said.
The light, located near Tony’s Ice Cream in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, toppled onto the side of the road heading towards St Julian’s.
A spokesperson for Transport Malta said it had been “damaged by the weather”.
The road from Salini to Pembroke was temporarily closed while members of the Civil Protection Department conducted operations to remove hazards and ensure the area was safe.
The northbound lane was also temporarily closed due to ongoing works, authorities said.
Transport Malta officials were on site by 1.30pm to assess the situation and the road opened less than an hour later.
The traffic lights have been switched off as they will need to be further repaired.
A red weather warning was issued for Malta on Thursday, with gale-force winds and gusts of up to 96km/h forecast for the evening.
The Meteorological Office and the Civil Protection Department issued the alert, the highest level of weather warning.
In its notice, the Met Office said a strong west-southwest wind, soon veering west-northwest, would gradually increase to gale force, particularly over exposed areas.
The warning is valid until 6am on Friday and will be renewed accordingly.