News • 1 June 2003

Mrabat Street residents imprisoned

Road works slow because of irregular work

Julian Manduca

The frustration of the residents in Mrabat Street, St Julian’s reached its limit yesterday when many of them became virtual prisoners in their own street.

Part of Mrabat street was closed to traffic on both sides, but the residents living in between were not warned and could not drive their cars out of the street.

One women, who preferred not to be named, told MaltaToday she had an appointment in Gozo and drove out of her garage thinking she could make her appointment, only to find herself locked in.

"The street is like a war zone, with dust flying everywhere, it is horrible to live hear, we all have to wash our shoes before entering our homes," another elderly resident, told MaltaToday.

The road works have caused a major headache for drivers who found the street blocked on certain days and not on others. Motorists had to make long detours, but confusion reigns as sometimes the road is open to and from Balluta Bay and sometimes it is not.

The works have also disrupted the bus service and commuters are often left waiting for buses that never come. No notice has been affixed to advise commuters of a temporary halt in the service.

The contractors, have been blamed for the delays, and residents told MaltaToday that work on the site is very irregular. "Some days the workers come and some days they do not, but parts of the road are left abandoned for days on end," a resident said.

But Minister for Transport Censu Galea told MaltaToday "there has been a delay in the works in the street and work is now expected to be concluded by the end of July."

"The delay was inevitable as rusty drainage connections and water pipes were found when the contractor dug up the road. It is government policy to carry out the necessary works and Water Works Department personnel have been working in the street to replace the pipes."

"We are trying to take road repairs seriously in contrast with what was done in the past and that is why road repairs sometimes take longer," the minister concluded. julian@maltamag.com