Repair works on the ‘wavy’ Mellieħa bypass will not be completed until at least April – almost two years after motorists first highlighted the botched resurfacing job.

Infrastructure Malta told Times of Malta the delayed timeline is due to a plan to dig up part of the road and install a water distribution main. 

The works, which began in November, were originally meant to make amends for bad workmanship dating back to the laying of the asphalt in June 2018. 

The original works, which were part of a €2 million road ‘reconstruction’ project, were mired in controversy over the decision to narrow part of the bypass to accommodate the construction of a massive block of apartments. This also meant the speed limit had to be halved to 40 kilometres per hour for safety reasons.

Within weeks of the project’s completion, motorists started complaining that parts of the northbound lane had an uneven surface. Technical tests showed the depressions and bumps exceeded the maximum allowable limit.

Infrastructure Malta acknowledged that the surfacing job was not up to standard and that the contractor would have to repair the ‘wavy’ bypass at his own expense. 

Another defect was exposed in autumn 2018 when rain flooded properties due to bad drainage. 

Repairs were originally scheduled to be carried out a year ago but these were repeatedly postponed and only started two months ago. In a statement, Infrastructure Malta had pointed out that as well as the resurfacing, works would include a stormwater system to ease the flooding following consultation with the local council.

While the costs for the new asphalt would be borne by the contractor, the rest of the works would be financed from taxpayers’ money, the agency said. 

Asked about the delay, an Infrastructure Malta spokesman said that the stormwater system had been completed. However, the resurfacing job would have to be postponed further after it emerged that the Water Service Corporation was planning to lay a 60-centimetre water pipe as part of a distribution network upgrade from Ċirkewwa to Ta’ Qali. 

While WSC will be bearing the costs to reinstate the bypass to its original condition when the trenching works are completed, the spokesman said it made no sense to resurface the ‘wavy’ parts at this stage. 

“Had works proceeded as planned without the new water main, Infrastructure Malta would have completed the resurfacing works in 2019, soon after installing the water catchments,” the spokesman pointed out. 

“Weather permitting, the final resurfacing works are now planned to be completed by April 2020,” he added.