Third lane and cycle lane for Vjal l-Avjazzjoni

The transport ministry is launching a new project to continue reducing travelling times along Vjal l-Avjazzjoni, the main route linking Gudja, the airport, and the Kirkop tunnels to Luqa, Paola, and Qormi.

On Monday morning contractors started preparatory works for the widening of this arterial road to introduce a third northbound lane from Gudja to Luqa. This project is scheduled to be completed this summer.

The new additional lane will be adjoined to the roundabout bypass lane opened in 2017, allowing road users to travel from the Kirkop tunnels towards Luqa without going through the airport roundabout. This improvement will continue to reduce the risk of accidents at this junction by decreasing the number of road users going through the roundabout. At the same time the new lane will also cut journey times when travelling from the airport and from Safi, Kirkop, Mqabba, Qrendi, and Żurrieq through the Kirkop tunnels towards Gudja, Luqa, Paola, Marsa, Qormi, and Valletta.

At the other end of Vjal l-Avjazzjoni, the ongoing upgrade will also include a new approach lane to the roundabout junction connecting it to Triq San Tumas towards Qormi, Luqa centre, and Triq il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa towards Paola. Further technical studies are also underway to design solutions for additional upgrades to this roundabout through a separate project. This future investment is required to reduce the air quality impacts of congestion on nearby residential areas including Luqa, Qormi, and Gudja and to develop safer, more efficient connections to other localities in the south-western region of the country.

The ongoing works at Vjal l-Avjazzjoni also include a new 650-metre cycle lane to encourage increased use of this environmental-friendly mode of travel along this route.

The Vjal l-Avjazzjoni upgrade is a follow-up to other improvements implemented in summer 2017 to increase the safety and efficiency of the roundabouts at the two ends of this busy road. Last year the airport roundabout was redesigned to include new approach lanes and two new bypass lanes. The roundabout between Vjal l-Avjazzjoni and Triq il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa was rebuilt with a new design for increased junction efficiency as well.

Besides the widening of Vjal l-Avjazzjoni, this summer the government’s road planning and design teams are collaborating with other contractors to introduce further improvements along other parts of the arterial road network. The upgrading of the T-junction linking Triq tal-Barrani to Gudja and Għaxaq was completed this month. A major €2.5 million project to redesign several arterial roads between Marsa, Qormi, and Ħamrun including parts of the Marsa-Ħamrun bypass, Triq Diċembru 13, and Triq Aldo Moro is also in progress.

The Ministry is also finalising preparations for the establishment of Infrastructure Malta - the new agency entrusted with the national plan to upgrade the efficiency, quality, and safety of the country’s road transport infrastructure. Infrastructure Malta will continue planning and implementing several road network optimisations whilst taking over several other large-scale infrastructural investments including the Marsa Junction Project with seven new flyover structures, the new tunnels at Santa Luċija, and the Central Link Project among others. It will also gradually introduce new processes for the rebuilding, repair, and maintenance of hundreds of residential roads within the next few years.