[WATCH] Problematic Mqabba road being rebuilt on solid foundations at last

Infrastructure Malta is rebuilding a problematic Mqabba road on 49 concrete and steel columns to ensure solid foundations in a €1.5 million intervention

Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia being shown one of the steel-reinforced concrete columns that have been drilled into the ground to reinforce the foundations of a problematic road in Mqabba (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)
Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia being shown one of the steel-reinforced concrete columns that have been drilled into the ground to reinforce the foundations of a problematic road in Mqabba (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

An important link road in Mqabba is being rebuilt from the rock bed upwards for the first time following a 30-year history of half-baked interventions.

Infrastructure Malta closed off Triq is-Sejba last December after sections of the road started to give way, posing a danger to motorists and other road users.

Triq is-Sejba links Mqabba with the Ta’ Kandja area in the limits of Siġġiewi and is a bypass for heavy trucks in the area.

The road was originally a country lane surrounded by fields and quarries but over time was widened and built on a rubble base. It became an important link road for heavy trucks between Mqabba and Siġġiewi the surface gave way multiple times with at least six recorded interventions in the past 30 years.

Now, a structural intervention costing more than €1.5 million is expected to rebuild the road on solid foundations, which IM CEO Ivan Falzon hopes to last “for the rest of his lifetime”.

A steel mesh being inserted into a steel casing before concrete is poured in to create a reinforced column on which the road surface will be rebuilt (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)
A steel mesh being inserted into a steel casing before concrete is poured in to create a reinforced column on which the road surface will be rebuilt (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

IM architect Roderick Bonnici told MaltaToday that 49 steel-reinforced concrete piles were being drilled on either side of the road at depths varying between 8.5m and 40m. The columns also have a permanent steel casing around them.

Bonnici said the piles will be tied to the rock bed beneath, ensuring the foundations are built on solid ground. 60% of these piles are already in place.

Beams will then link the piles and the road surface will rest on the beams, ensuring road foundations are independent from the rubble filling on which the existing road rests.

Works, which will include the laying of new services, are expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year.

Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia visited the site this morning and was given an overview of the extensive intervention being done on the road. He said the decision to intervene in a structural way will solve the recurring problem once and for all.

“Many residents and employees informed us that this road had sustained significant damage over the years, and only temporary repairs were ever done. As a result, this time round, it was decided that long-lasting work is to be done even though this would take longer to complete. In this way, we can provide peace of mind to all those who use this street in the future,” Farrugia said.

Before commencing with the necessary structural work, the IM's contractor began on-site geotechnical testing at the end of December. The studies confirmed that the road was standing on weak foundations. The drilling of cores for the concrete piles started as soon as the surveys were completed.

Mqabba residents who spoke to MaltaToday last December were not surprised by the road’s umpteenth failure and expressed anger at how the problem kept recurring.

“People always mention the collapse of Mqabba school football ground (which happened in 2010), but they forget this road collapsed before that incident and even after it,” an irate resident had told this newspaper.