[PHOTOS] Msida Creek photomontages of proposed flyover

Infrastructure Malta has presented photomontages of the flyovers which are set to change Msida’s townscape, particularly the setting of the General Workers Union’s workers memorial and its surrounding recreational area.

The monument will not remain visible for pedestrians walking down from Rue D’Argens and will be obscured by a new pedestrian bridge when viewed from the road where the existing traffic lights are located.

The imposing pedestrian bridge, accessed by stairs and lifts, will replace the existing traffic lights presently used by thousands of pedestrians including junior college students.

The photomontages presented in December were originally requested by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage which had warned of the “undeniable impact upon this urban space” and its urban conservation area, and views of the Workers Memorial Monument and the scheduled Msida Parish Church.

The proposed flyover will be passing in close proximity of the Labour party club and the adjacent residential blocks.

While the project includes various landscaped areas it also entails the demolition of the existing bocci club, nearby gazebo, kiosk and recreational area.

The project announced in 2019 introduces two 175-metre long flyovers instead of the traffic lights junction connecting Triq Marina, Triq il-Wied tal-Imsida and Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli, a junction which sees more than 4,500 vehicles an hour.

Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg had described the project as essential to address the challenges of traffic and congestion in this locality and one aimed at reducing the risk of accidents and improving air quality.”

But a coalition of NGOs has yesterday called on the government to scrap the project. The NGOs argued that the area is better served by a new and improved public transport interchange with the potential to provide a major public open space. The NGOS warned that the use of lifts and stairs to cross the bridges above the vehicular traffic will further hinder the movement of those choosing to cycle, while penalising persons with reduced mobility including people with a pushchair or young child, “forcing them back to cars as a transportation mode”.