The project to rehabilitate and upgrade the Kirkop, Santa Venera, Tal-Qroqq and Ta’ Giorni tunnels ended up costing the taxpayer €14.7 million - €3 million per kilometre of lane - Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi said on Monday, adding that contracts for the bulk of the works were handed out by direct order.

In a Facebook post, Azzopardi referred to a reply by  Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg to a parliamentary question he made regarding the tunnels’ upgrade. Azzopardi asked how much the upgrade cost and how much contract work was allocated by direct order.

The minister said the total cost for the four tunnels was €14.7 million. He did not address the rest of the question.

“This is the second time I’ve asked this question. The fact that the minister is not answering proves what I know from industry sources. Over the past months I’ve met many industry players who are angry at the direct orders. There is a lot of resentment and anger,” Azzopardi told Times of Malta.

Questions were sent to Infrastructure Malta for reaction. 

Cost breakdown

Meanwhile, figures obtained by Times of Malta from Infrastructure Malta show that the tunnels - originally quoted to cost €10 million in July - ended up costing €14.7 million "exluding VAT". Each of the four tunnels cost about €3.7 million.

Breakdown of the costs of the four tunnels provided by Infrastructure Malta.

The bulk of the total cost - €4.5 million - went for structural works and special structures while €4.3 million was spent on lighting and communications. Pavement works cost €1.8 million while service utilities and fire fighting systems cost €1.4 million. An additional  €1 million went to “other works”, sealing of cracks cost just over €800,000 while painting and plastering cost some  €675,000.

Why was the upgrade needed?

The works started in August 2020 following a 2018 technical assessment that concluded that, whilst the tunnels were structurally sound and did not have any critical damage, they needed substantial maintenance works and localised repairs.

The electricity and lighting equipment needed to be replaced to meet international standards, and an upgrade of the fire safety, security and emergency systems was required, the Infrastructure Malta spokesperson said.

Asphalt laying at Tal-Qroqq. Photo: Infrastructure Malta

During the initial phases of the project, Infrastructure Malta cleaned the tunnel walls to remove decades of soot.  

“When the surfaces of the tunnel walls and portals were exposed, the project team noted that some sections had more extensive damage than originally identified through the initial studies. In this regard, additional structural works were required,” the spokesman said.

What did the works include?

A ground-penetrating radar study of the two rock-cut tunnels at Ta’ Giorni and Santa Venera was carried out to identify subsurface cavities or fissures that necessitated additional interventions.

Works included the extensive repairs to the tunnel tubes and their portals using specialised materials for this kind of infrastructure, such as the application of specialised coatings to the tunnel walls and ceilings, to improve visibility and facilitate routine cleaning and maintenance, the laying of new underground networks, new fire hydrant pipelines and new stormwater catchments, the construction of new control rooms outside each of these tunnels, and the resurfacing of all their vehicle lanes.

Following consultations with the Civil Protection Department and the Water Services Corporation, Infrastructure Malta also built underground reservoirs outside two of the tunnels, where no alternative water supply was readily available, to harvest water for the new firefighting systems, Infrastruture Malta said.

Intelligent lighting 

The emergency escapes in each tunnel have been upgraded and equipped with fire doors, emergency exit signage and evacuation marker lights. In the control rooms of all four tunnels, Infrastructure Malta installed control systems of the new mechanical and electrical systems .

They include intelligent lighting systems that alter their intensity at different parts of the tunnel, and at different times of day, to improve drivers’ visibility, as well as security cameras and air quality sensors. In case of an emergency, the tunnels’ systems can be monitored and operated from the new control rooms. 

Lighting works at the Kirkop tunnel. Photo: Infrastructure Malta

The CCTV cameras and sensors will also be linked to the national Traffic Control Centre, for constant monitoring. They will also be connected to an incident detection system that can automatically alert the emergency response authorities of any difficulties, such as fires or stopped vehicles.

Remaining works, which include the installation of fire alarms, emergency call stations and other final touches, will be ready in the coming weeks, the spokesman said.