Infrastructure Malta will be laying what it says are the final stretches of asphalt at the Kirkop Tunnels and Airport Intersection Project this weekend.

The works will require workers to temporarily close the airport roundabout on Saturday afternoon between 4pm and 7pm, with motorists diverted through two alternative routes as a result.

Traffic coming to and from the Kirkop tunnels will be diverted through an MIA exit alongside its fuel station, while other commuters will proceed through Gudja’s Triq il-Karwija and a southern entrance/exit to the airport.  

The roundabout will reopen for traffic at 7pm, when works will shift to another part of the project. As a result, Triq il-Karwija will be closed to traffic until 9am on Sunday morning. An alternative route will take commuters through Dawret il-Gudja and Bir Mifuh Road, Gudja.

Infrastructure Malta advised motorists to drive carefully and follow any instructions onsite.

The weekend works should mark the final parts of the long-drawn-out airport intersection project, which completely revamps access to and from the airport while speeding up traffic flows for commuters in the area. 

First announced in 2019, works on the flyover and intersection project got under way in 2021. It was originally meant to be completed by the end of 2022. 

Progress was however slow, and as works dragged through to this year, grumbling grew more vociferous. Among those to complain was Labour MEP Alfred Sant, who in December asked with a measure of frustration “when will works end?”  

A new completion deadline of April was also missed and moved to mid-May.

Infrastructure Malta has attributed project delays to a variety of issues, from supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to the requirement to redesign parts of the project after archaeological remains were discovered during works.