Infrastructure Malta is embedding 38 concrete piles, six storeys deep in Saqqajja Hill, Rabat to guard against ground movement after storm damage earlier this year.

The upper part of the hill has been closed to traffic since the end of May after a retaining wall collapsed during a storm. 

Infrastructure Malta said the current works will consolidate the area and protect neighbouring buildings, including the centuries-old former Santo Spirito hospital.

The decision to embed the piles was taken after studies up to 40 metres below road level confirmed the geological fragility of the area.

A three-metre deep sinkhole in Saura Street swallowed up a Mini Minor car in the 1980s.

Another hole appeared on St Francis Street a few years ago, causing cracks on the facade of a nearby friary and other properties. 

Residents of two houses have been provided alternative accommodation while the current works are in hand. 

The concrete piles will be bridged together with horizontal ground beams and an overlying slab beneath the road surface.

The collapsed section of the wall will be rebuilt using masonry identical to the rest of the wall and with stronger concrete foundations.

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