Higher-than-usual traffic congestion for most of the day on Monday appears to have been caused by a lane being closed in Marsa because of works on the new junction.

Motorists reported tailbacks going as far back as Birkirkara, Msida, Blata l-Bajda and Kappara, for no apparent reason.

But a spokesman for Infrastructure Malta said a south-bound lane on Aldo Moro Road in Marsa had to be closed because of a crane deployed on the junction works.

Motorists reported bumper to bumper traffic in Marsa and the bypasses at Birkirkara and Mrieħel and from Kappara to the Msida roundabout.

"I went to the airport this afternoon and the trip from Birkirkara took me two hours," a motorist told Times of Malta. 

"Getting from Valletta to Mriehel took me 90 minutes. Traffic was completely at a standstill in Hamrun. It would have been faster to walk," another motorist said.

The Maltese Road Traffic Updates Facebook page was alive with updates from drivers detailing their frustrations at the gridlock.

“Emergency vehicles are struggling to get through,” MRTU reported about the situation in Marsa.

Infrastructure Malta spokesperson David Vella explained that one lane from Aldo Moro Road towards Sir Paul Boffa Avenue was closed to allow a crane to lay new concrete beams for a new flyover.

He explained that the lane was closed after 9am. He added that the works had to be done during the day because of health and safety reasons.

The gridlock intensified throughout lunchtime with heavy traffic reported towards Marsa and Qormi. This jam stretched out as far as Zebbuġ. 

The crane was due to be removed at about 4pm.

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.