Sliema residents are incensed after roadworks on one of the locality’s busiest street ground to a halt earlier this month.

Works on Triq Il-Kbira in Sliema, metres away from the Stella Maris parish church, have been ongoing since the start of the year but stopped weeks ago, causing a flurry of complaints from residents, motorists and the parish priest.

The authorities blamed the delay on works related to an air-raid shelter and an underground reservoir located under the site but have promised that they will resume soon.

Traffic to the road, which leads directly to the Sliema seafront, was diverted first into Amery Street and then to the very narrow Annunciation Street, often sparking a cacophony of car horns to the frustration of drivers and residents.

The works have proven to be a particular obstacle to the many elderly residents who live in the vicinity.

Stella Maris parish priest Fr Denis Schembri said the works were also causing problems for those attending church services.

Services at the church had been disrupted by barriers erected on the sides of the road as well as by noise caused by machinery, he said.

The church has been forced to close its doors during services, and hearses for funeral services had no choice but to park further away from the entrance.

We knew about the shelter in advance... it did cause a slowdown but not a big issue that caused the works to stop- Infrastructure Malta CEO Ivan Falzon

“It would be nice to know why the works are not continuing... and they [authorities] told me this is only phase one of the project,” Schembri said.

One resident quipped on a Sliema residents’ Facebook page: “It seems that the contractor has adopted a cost-efficient way of finishing the contract. He has no employees on site – could it be AI that is now doing the job?”

Responding to questions on Friday, Infrastructure Malta blamed the delay on operations related to an air-raid shelter and reservoir located under the site of the works.

“We knew about the shelter in advance... it did cause a slowdown but not a big issue that caused the works to stop,” said Infrastructure Malta CEO Ivan Falzon.

Services at the Stella Maris parish church disrupted by the works.

The shelter has been closed and a manhole cover put in place, and an agreement was now in place with the superintendent of cultural heritage regarding the site.

The agency was now assessing an underground reservoir in the vicinity, he noted.

“At the moment, we are checking whether the reservoir can withstand the works above... we’re conducting tests and expect these to be completed by next week,” Falzon said.

A first layer of asphalt is expected to be in place by July 12, he explained, adding that current works to that section of road were on track to be completed by July 17.

Similar works were also planned for other sections of the same road, he confirmed.

The works to Triq Il-Kbira are part of a larger project by Infrastructure Malta affecting 170 residential roads.

According to the agency’s website, the project will add up to 52kms of roads and 85kms of pavements, refit underground pipes and cables, and include maintenance works to drainage systems, pedestrian walkways and the road surface.