The bridge supporting Old College Street, Sliema is in a dangerous state, according to the local council, which is calling on the authorities for immediate action to make it safe.

The stone was weathered and pieces had been falling onto the underlying Manwel Dimech Street, the latest incident occurring just a couple of weeks ago and narrowly missing a passer-by, said Sliema councillors, who had all agreed on the urgency of the issue.

But their hands were tied because the bridge is Transport Malta’s responsibility, they maintained, adding that communication with the authority since January 2008 had fallen on deaf ears and no action was ever taken.

Transport Malta, on the other hand, said that “since the bridge is situated in a local council road, the responsibility for its maintenance falls within the Sliema local council remit”.

Nonetheless, it added, it would be carrying out the required investigations and would make its conclusions available to the local council to assist it with the works that would have to be carried out.

Presenting a timeline and correspondence, deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer said the council could only pile pressure on the authority and Transport Ministry, insisting their “behaviour is unacceptable”. He was speaking in the absence of Sliema mayor Joanna Gonzi, who had other commitments and told the councillors to go ahead.

Last night Transport Malta said in a statement that while the bridge lay in the remit of the council, it (Transport Malta) would be carrying out investigations and will pass on the findings to the council.

A report about the state of the bridge was filed at the St Julians police station in January 2008 and the local council has since corresponded with the relevant authorities, including the Resources Ministry, which had drawn up a report.

However, although it maintained the bridge was a hazard, the report was collecting dust.

No feedback on it was received from Transport Malta, which, in its correspondence over the years, had only indicated it would be carrying out studies, Mr Engerer said.

Holding a piece of stone that recently fell from the bridge, councillor Martin Debono, an architect by profession, said it was in dire need of restoration.

However, until a solution was found once and for all it had to be protected and shored up.

The council’s own proposals include a speed limit for cars on the bridge: the faster they go the more the vibrations and the more the damage caused.

It also pointed out that road signage prohibiting vehicles over one tonne in weight had disappeared and trucks were constantly passing over it due to the development in the area.