After complaints on the ‘wavy asphalt’, the €2-million Mellieħa bypass reconstruction project has now come under fire for the poor drainage system that has resulted in adjacent properties being flooded.
The issue came to the fore during last week’s heavy downpour when residents in Triq Louis Wettinger, the name of the arterial thoroughfare, complained that storm water was leaking into their basements.
Footage uploaded on Facebook showed that following the works carried out a few months ago, a 400-metre stretch along the southbound lane adjacent to residential properties had become prone to flooding.
Affected residents vented their frustration and criticism while questioning if this was a case of bad workmanship or a poor design.
Works to “reconstruct” Mellieħa bypass were carried out earlier this year amid controversy over the decision to narrow part of this thoroughfare to allow for a new road servicing of a large block of apartments still under construction. This had fuelled a public outcry forcing the Transport Ministry to amend plans and keep the four-lane configuration.
The changes were announced as part and parcel of a project to reconstruct the bypass. Furthermore, works were done around the clock in order to finish the project before the start of summer.
While the deadline was respected, questions were immediately raised on the quality of the asphalting.
The issue was recently raised in Parliament when Transport Minister Ian Borg confirmed that tests were underway as part of an investigation into “wavy” tarmac along several stretches of the bypass.
By the time of writing, however, the results of the tests were not yet published.
As for the flooding, affected residents questioned the reason why the reconstruction project had not catered for water culverts. Furthermore, they noted that, prior to the works, they had never experienced flooding in their properties.
Infrastructure Malta 'looking into the matter'
Asked whether this was a case of bad workmanship or poor design, and what measures would be taken to address the situation Infrastructure Malta said it was looking into the matter.
A spokesman insisted that the existing road levels and stormwater systems in the southbound carriageway at the heart of the complains were not modified and remained as they were in previous years. The water filmed on the side of the road during last week’s storms was surface runoff flowing towards existing culverts down the same road, he pointed out.
He added that the agency was reviewing the pre-existing stormwater system along this part of the road, so that if any improvements were required, they would be duly implemented. The agency was also looking into social media allegations of water ingress in a property’s basement, the spokesman said.
According to the agency, the project did include new stormwater culverts, which were meant to channel rainwater from residential roads linked to the bypass, including Triq il-Mithna l-Qadima and other nearby streets. These were linked to an existing stormwater tunnel flowing to the Mizieb valley. Previously, surface runoff from these residential roads, flowed to the Bypass’s carriageway, Infrastructure Malta said.
Furthermore it noted that existing culverts, and other storm water systems were cleaned and repaired, as necessary. Weep holes were also included in the new concrete foundations replacing the old boundary wall of the northbound carriageway to drain the road’s rainwater in the adjacent valley, the agency said.