Prolonged works on a prominent Gżira road has left residents and businesses up in arms as they endure months of dust, noise and uneven pathways.

The refurbishment of infrastructure and repaving in Triq Manoel De Vilhena was scheduled to start in March 2022 but works began months later, in October.

While the intention of the project was to fix one of the busiest roads in the locality, which is home to a number of residents, restaurants, a pharmacy and the locality’s parish church – the street is in a bad state.

“I opened my restaurant last August, weeks before the works began, and ever since then my business went down the drain,” a business owner told Times of Malta.

The public works department then embarked on paving works, which residents have described as having no end in sight. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

“Before, I used to be fully booked for lunch and over the weekend I used to close at 1am. Now, there are days when the chef comes in for nothing and we close as early as 8 pm.”

The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she was worried about how she will pay the rent at the end of the month. “I don’t blame people for not coming, I wouldn’t want to sit in the middle of a construction site either.”

She hopes to receive some form of compensation after the roadworks disrupted her business. “I spent a lot of money to refurbish and work on this restaurant and I do not wish to close anytime soon but if works keep going on any longer I will be left facing this difficult decision.”

According to Infrastructure Malta CEO, Ivan Falzon the rebuilding of the road, including services and stormwater systems, was completed at the beginning of May. The public works department then embarked on paving works, which residents have described as having no end in sight.

In the time it took them to do the work they did, I would have expected not only the road to be completed but also to be dug up and rebuilt all over again.- Joseph Muscat, resident

While paving has been placed on parts of the road, residents are still having to commute on the uneven road and dodge cement mixers and concrete slabs.

One resident, Joseph Muscat, said that residents are fed up with the state of the street. “There is dirt and dust everywhere, constantly,” he said.

He recalled that he was happy at first when the authorities announced refurbishing works. “But, now, over 16 months have passed and whenever I reach out to the authorities to understand when the works will be completed they never give me a direct answer. In the time it took them to do the work they did, I would have expected not only the road to be completed but also to be dug up and rebuilt all over again.”

The 47-year-old described the road to be a disaster and constantly full of dust, leaving him having to clean up his front porch and staircase continuously.

Residents and businesses up in arms. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Ryan Sciberras, who lives close to the road and passes by on a daily basis, said all the residents are in a desperate situation. “Elderly residents tell me how they fall in the road, how they see only a few workers daily working there,” he said.

Conrad Borg Manché, the mayor of the locality, echoed the resident’s frustration. “I never imagined the works would take this long and residents and businesses are all frustrated and unhappy. Sixteen months for works is a long time and they are not ready yet.”

Temporary concrete laid for feast

The prolonged roadworks not only impacted businesses but also Our Lady of Mount Carmel church’s own holy calendar.  Over the past year, the parish church had to cancel three processions – that of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Risen Christ, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus ­because the road was deemed to be in a dangerous state for such activities.

Now, just two weeks before the locality’s festa, taking place between July 1 and 9, the public works department decided to place a temporary concrete surface to ensure the feast can happen.

In a Facebook post, the department stated that the temporary surface will be paid by the contractor and that, in the coming weeks, another consignment of paving will arrive from Italy so that the works can be completed.

It did not, however, say when the road is set to be completed and questions sent to public works remain unanswered at the time of writing.