[WATCH] Emergency works being carried out on Mistra bridge

Without the necessary intervention, parts of the bridge could easily have collapsed and caused a disaster Infrastructure minister Ian Borg said

Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg announced emergency works underway on Mistra bridge
Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg announced emergency works underway on Mistra bridge
Emergency works being carried out on Mistra bridge

Emergency works are currently being carried out on Mistra bridge to prevent parts of it from collapsing, Infrastructure minister Ian Borg said on Friday.

The minister was briefing the press on the works being carried out where he said that the bridge had been allowed to fall into disrepair over the years and that immediate action was now needed to address the fact that parts of the wall holding the bridge up are crumbling.

The bridge was built in the late nineteenth century as was widened and reinforced with concrete on one side in 1955.

He stressed that the works were all the more necessary given that the bridge was the main crossing to Mellieha and Gozo.

One of the two lanes is currently closed while work - which is expected to take up to four weeks - is completed.

"Had there been the necessary maintenance over the years, these interventions wouldn't have been necessary," the minister said, adding that the government was committed to investing in infrastructure to avoid similar problems in the future.

One lane has been closed to traffic while works are underway
One lane has been closed to traffic while works are underway

Frederick Azzopardi, who will be the CEO of the new road agency being set up by government, said the bridge was one several areas that had been identified as requiring intervention.

He said that structural engineers and consultants had been required to plot the way forward.

He said an initial intervention had already taken place to remove the most immediate danger. Works will now continue to ensure the bridge's integrity in the long-term.

It was explained that the bridge had the bridge had sufferedbeen heavy losses due to weather and the action of roots from the surrounding vegetation. Moreover, thermal pressure had also weakened the bridge's foundations.