Transport Malta will blacklist road contractors who produce low-quality works or cause delays, a spokesperson for the authority told Times of Malta on Friday.

TM will monitor contractors to ensure they abide by regulations and a project’s terms and conditions, including time frames. 

“A specially appointed committee will determine if a contractor is blacklisted,” the spokesperson said.

Entities like Infrastructure Malta and the Public Works Department are responsible for building new roads. They outsource much of the work to contractors. However, it is up to TM to provide permits. 

“Should a contractor fail to deliver, permits will no longer be given for works to be carried out,” the spokesperson said. 

The policy is one of several TM policy moves to curb roadworks delays.

“The call for works to be complete without unjustified delays had led the transport ministry and its entities to work on a strategy that started being implemented and producing results,” a TM statement sent to Times of Malta said.  

TM said that contractors must now prove they have enough personnel to work on a project. “Those who do not have the required number of workers will not be given work,” it said.

Another TM rule will require all roadworks to have notice boards identifying the entity responsible for works, the contractor’s name, the date when works began and when works should finish.

The reason works are taking place and a telephone number providing more information must also be visible on the notice board. 

“This information will be publicly available online,” the TM statement said. 

Permits will now be mapped on a Transport Malta digital system to prevent roads next to each other being closed at the same time.”

The only exception will be emergency cases, the TM statement said. 

Last week, Times of Malta reported that a new TM unit will put all roadworks permit offices under one roof. The new unit aims to reduce too many roadworks occurring on any day. 

Roadworks delays have been an issue in recent months.  Earlier this week Gżira residents gathered in protest over prolonged works on a prominent street, Triq Manoel De Vilhena. A spokesperson for the Public Works Department later said that the work should be complete within 10 weeks, provided that the contractor continues receiving consignments of materials.

Works on the new Mosta square have been ongoing for months.

The works have frustrated commuters, residents and festa enthusiasts alikeand have been a logistical nightmare for some businesses and hotels