Contractors engaged on the €2 million Mellieħa Bypass project were granted a direct order, with Transport Malta saying it wanted to “expedite” the works.

Moreover, the project which includes a new slip road on a tract of land outside the development zone, was exempt from going through the scrutiny of a full development application thanks to a legal notice enacted two years ago.

Works on Triq Louis Wettinger started a few weeks ago following a public outcry against the decision to narrow part of the arterial thoroughfare making it three instead of four lanes.

This “realignment” was necessary to make space for a new road, servicing a massive block of 152 apartments, still under construction, which overlooks the bypass.

The issue was raised in Parliament last March by Opposition MP Robert Cutajar who feared the result would be a traffic bottleneck and seeking an explanation from the government.

To reduce project timeframes and inconveniences to residents and road users

Transport Minister Ian Borg initially justified the move, insisting it was in line with a planning policy approved in 2015 and noting that the new layout would make the road safer.

However, faced with mounting criticism, he backtracked within 24 hours and said the plans had been revised to keep the existing four-lane configuration.

Subsequently, he announced a €2 million project to reconstruct this part of the bypass, including street lighting. Work would also comprise the installation of crash barriers, a central strip, redesigning a traffic junction linking the bypass to residential roads and a new slip road to Triq il-Miżieb.

The latter would go through a tract of land outside the development zone.

Throughout the controversy, the government insisted that no adjacent ODZ land would be taken up to compensate for part of the bypass, which was eaten up by the new service road. Consequently, concerns were expressed that the road would have to be narrowed to keep a four-lane module.

Meanwhile, work started straight away and, according to the ministry, the project is scheduled to be completed before the start of summer. No tenders were published and no development permit was issued by the Planning Authority.

Asked for a clarification, a Transport Malta spokesman noted that, to “reduce project timeframes and inconveniences to residents and road users” they assigned four contractors for the job. The contractors, whose names were not divulged, had already been engaged by Transport Malta through existing ongoing contracts for such work, the spokesman said.

He added that the bypass would not encroach beyond the existing footprint but pointed out that new concrete foundations were being laid to withstand the side barriers.

No permit was required because the work would not encroach the existing footprint of the bypass, the spokesman added.

When it was pointed out that the new slip road to Triq il-Miżieb was outside this area, Transport Malta insisted this was located along “a pre-existing lane” that would be “upgraded”.

There would, thus, be safer access to Miżieb, eliminating the need for drivers to navigate through the existing hairpin bend, the spokesman said.

The country lane that will be “upgraded” to a slip road.

Times of Malta also sought a clarification from the Planning Authority in view of the fact that all previous projects along the Mellieħa Bypass, including the upgrading of the lower part a few years ago, had been covered by a permit.

A spokesman noted that a 2016 legal notice had introduced exemptions in relation to work involving formation, laying out, alteration or improvement of roads by government agencies, local councils and other entities appointed by them.

Road widening, improvements, maintenance and junction alterations were also exempt from a full development permit, in terms of the legal notice, he said.