Truck hits aqueduct arch in Mrieħel
Arch closed while inspections are made
One of the arches of the historic aqueduct in Mrieħel was closed off for checks on Tuesday afternoon after damage appeared to have been caused by a truck.
Police close one of the arches to traffic.The truck was being driven from Birkirkara and hit one of the arches as it joined the Rabat road.
The aquaduct was built on the orders of Grand Master Wignacourt, for whom it is named. Its purpose was to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat all the way to Valletta. It was inaugurated in April 1615.
One of its central features, a decorative arch across the Rabat Road at the corner with Fleur-de-Lys was demolished by a British services truck in the war years. A replica was built a few years ago on a nearby roundabout.
In August 2018 one of the arches was damaged when the driver of a concrete-mix truck ignored traffic signs and tried to drive through an arch with his massive vehicle.
The central corbel stone of the arch was damaged as a result.