Żabbar-Smart City bypass downsized but still passes through fields

A new road that cuts through agricultural fields connecting Żabbar to Kalkara will be constructed as part of a broader initiative to enhance connectivity to Smart City.

The project, which was announced on Tuesday by Transport Malta and Infrastructure Malta, will cover around 80,000 square metres, stretching from Notre Dame Gate (Bieb is-Sultana) in Żabbar, along the Cottonera Lines, passing near the Capuchin Convent in Kalkara, and ending at Smart City.

With an estimated cost of €8 million, IM said that it aims to complete this project in three to four years.

Transport Malta architect Antoinette Conti said that the project involves upgrading the current road between Smart City and the Capuchin Convent.

From there, Transport Malta plans to build a new two-way, single-lane road along the Cottonera Lines continuing until Notre Dame Gate.

The full route from Notre Dame Gate to Smart City. Photo: Transport Malta

Conti said dedicated pedestrian and cycle lanes will be introduced throughout the route.

Currently, the pathway along the Cottonera lines is surrounded by agricultural fields.

A plan to cut through the Cottonera lines was initially proposed in 2007, which proposed constructing a four-lane road that took up 14,500 square metres of agricultural land, TM architect Antoinette Conti said.

The new project reduces the land take-up to 5,686 square metres, around 3,000 square metres of which are agricultural land, Conti said.

She added that to preserve the bastions along the path, the proposed road will be elevated, while the pedestrian and cycle path will split off, passing closer to the bastions.

The proposed road in front of the bastions. Photo: Transport Malta

The project also includes the removal of 30 trees, but TM plans on planting 40 new indigenous trees to compensate. 

Infrastructure architect Walter Portelli said that the first phase of the project, which is set to begin in May, will focus on Triq il-Missjoni Taljana and Triq Santa Liberata. The second phase of the project will commence in June and focus on Triq Joseph Calleia and Triq il-Kanun tal-Mija.

Following this, Infrastructure Malta will be able to begin works on constructing the road from the Capuchin Convent to Notre Dame Gate, which is still subject to approval by the planning authority.

Portelli added that part of the land required for the new road is currently privately owned, and the authorities are in the process of expropriating it.

Criticism from NGO and ADPD

The project has drawn criticism from environmental groups. When it was re-announced in February 2024, NGO Friends of the Earth objected to the loss of agricultural land.

It noted how the agreement with Smart City on the relocation of the American University Malta campus included an obligation on the government to construct a new connection from Notre Dame Gate to the Capuchin’s convent.

Green party ADPD also voiced strong opposition to the road’s construction, saying that this road will only benefit the wealthy few.