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Karl Stagno-Navarra
Government intends to issue clear directives to regulate all road contractors involved in national tender projects, warning them on the introduction of a point-deduction system for every shortcoming encountered on jobs entrusted to them, and that will eventually be increasing their risk to be excluded from subsequent tenders.
A set of new regulations are currently being compiled by the Transport Authority (ADT) in the light of what have been defined as “serious shortcomings” for adequate traffic management during the re-construction of Civil Aviation Avenue in Luqa.
As Penza contractors were fined Lm5,000 by ADT for the shortcomings, many – including Malta Today – have asked the ADT as to why would a fine was issued after the works were completed and not while the shortcomings were noticed.
At the time works were carried out, motorists were left to guess their directions, and worse, tourists arriving or departing from Malta were either greeted or saluted with rudimental signage, indicating the airport with a sprayed arrow on a concrete boulder.
While traffic chaos was the order of the day while the road works were on, a series of other misgivings were registered, including the non-existent warning lights to indicate the danger of the site.
A number of collisions were registered throughout the months in which dust and lack of health and safety measures characterised the site.
Asked to comment about the matter, ADT replied that it has been inserting clauses in the tenders for road works whereby contractors are subject to penalties when they do not comply to traffic management plans they would have originally submitted, and which would have been approved by the ADT.
In an answer sent to Malta Today, a spokesperson for ADT seemingly shrugged off the responsibility by commenting, “what usually happens is that the traffic management arrangements will be according to the plans the first time they are placed on site, but then are not maintained adequately during the works”.
The authority stopped short however in explaining that its inspectors visit the project sites every day, however nothing was ever corrected. The situation simply got worse as the works progressed.
It is odd to note that while ADT commented with MaltaToday that “presently the big problem the Authority is facing is that contractors have been neglecting the aspects related to site presentation and traffic management issues,” it also came up with the following admission: “During the course of the works ADT has been issuing several instructions to contractors on site to regulate their position, but the instructions were all in vein.”
While ADT assured this paper that penalties have started to be applied, and are being automatically deducted from the interim payments due to the contractor, Transport Minister Jesmond Mugliett publicly admitted his own faults too over Civil Aviation Avenue in Luqa.
Interviewed by The Times, Mugliett admitted being “wrong” in not spending Lm30,000 and adequately surfacing the alternate route leading to the airport, leaving motorists no option but to use a potholed road, and a final lacklustre impression of Malta to all departing tourists from the airport in the height of the Brand Malta campaign.
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