Shades of black | Stanley Zammit

Whilst walking or driving through any locality in Malta, have you noticed how street surfaces often resemble a checkerboard of patches? The tarmac is rarely uniform. You’ll frequently see streaks of deep black alongside sun-bleached grey, with dull spots interrupting smoother sections. I call them the shades of black. 

Although this may seem like a trivial visual inconsistency, these shades are symptomatic of a deeper, systemic issue involving a lack of coordination, missing long-term planning, and a blurred national vision. 

Each shade, each patch, tells a story. One might result from a water pipe repair, another from a power trench, a third from resurfacing after new construction, and yet another for different utility works. Rarely are these interventions carried out simultaneously. Instead, they unfold in an endless cycle: dig, patch, dig again—sometimes within the same period. 

This is not just a matter of inefficiency; it’s a symptom of a country that reacts rather than plans. Across Malta, roads are resurfaced only to be dug up again mere months later for utility works, leaving behind disruptive, mismatched patches. Newly laid tarmac often begins to crumble prematurely due to rushed or poorly coordinated interventions or because the foundations underneath were never properly addressed. 

Residents frequently endure piecemeal digging and repatching by various contractors, often without any visible sign of coordination. A common complaint I hear is that roads are never truly finished—they’re resurfaced in segments, left incomplete, and then reopened for further work. This results in roads that age unevenly, drain poorly, and deteriorate faster than they should. 

This isn’t just about aesthetics; it directly affects quality, durability, and safety. 

These outcomes stem from a planning system that has lost its way. In parliament, I’ve repeatedly raised the fact that Malta suffers from a lack of a unified infrastructure strategy. We do not have a centralised road intervention registry. We lack an effective trenching coordination framework. We are missing a long-term vision for our roads, pavements, and public spaces. And it shows. 

Even the tarmac composition varies from patch to patch, reflecting inconsistent standards. In some areas, high-quality asphalt is used, capable of withstanding weather and wear. In others, it crumbles within months—evidence of substandard materials or rushed workmanship. This inconsistency speaks volumes about the absence of central oversight and a coherent national direction. 

This situation goes far beyond inconvenience. It represents a wasteful and costly misuse of public funds, and it is deeply unfair to residents who deserve clean, safe, and durable infrastructure. Road resurfacing should come with the assurance that no further excavations are imminent. All public works must be coordinated across utility providers, underpinned by clear standards, defined timelines, and a firm commitment to long-term quality. 

This requires strategic vision and holistic planning, not merely the allocation of budgets. 

So much for the promises made eight years ago by the Labour government. The Labour Party’s 2017 manifesto pledged to relocate all overhead cables underground as part of a comprehensive road and infrastructure regeneration plan. Four years later, they admitted the initiative had “proved very difficult.” 

Labour boasts of spending €700 million on roads over seven years, yet fails to mention that many of those same roads have had to be dug up again. Meanwhile, the commitment to remove cables and light poles from building facades has long since been abandoned. Will this broken promise be recycled in the next Labour manifesto? 

Shades of black is more than just a metaphor. It reflects the state of our planning regime— disjointed, inconsistent, uncoordinated. 

We must stop paving over problems and start addressing them at the root. We need integrated GIS-based systems, cross-agency planning protocols, and a legal obligation to synchronise trenching works. And above all, we need the political will—real leadership—to insist on quality, efficiency, and long-term thinking. 

As for the trenches that no one seems in a hurry to close—open trenches have outlasted government commitments and entire planning cycles, standing as silent monuments to inefficiency. 

The time for patchwork governance is over. Malta needs a vision that plans for generations, not just for tomorrow’s press release.