Central Link Project will ‘do nothing but improve the quality of life’, Infrastructure Minister says

The Central Link Project is focused on having a positive impact on the environment, as an additional 300 trees will be planting, thereby giving rise to a total of 600 trees, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said.

The minister was speaking during a tree-planting activity with Environment Minister Jose Herrera which saw 28 new carob trees planted at the ongoing works at the Mellieha bypass.

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The Mellieha project has led to improved safety due to the installation of crash barriers equipped with motorcycles strips, and the road was equipped with an appropriate lighting, making it safer for nighttime travel, Borg said.

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Borg said that widening and upgrading of roads was just one among several measures to combat traffic and congestion.

The minister also said that cycle lanes have increased by around 1.4 kilometres and that the general environment has improved both visually and due to an increase in trees in the area.

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The public only received messages which open up discussion, while certain elements which are an integral part of the ministry’s projects are not given the attention they deserve, such as cycle lanes, reduced emissions, new pavements, and landscaping work, Borg said.

“Today, we are in fact starting with the planting of 28 carob trees – we will begin with 13 which are being planted in this zone. The government is sensitive to our environment, and those who think or try to give the impression that this is not so, are mistaken,” Borg said.

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The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) adopted a rigorous process of evaluating permits towards the removal or transplanting of certain species of trees, Herrera said, adding that the ministry has already planted around 6,000 trees in different areas.

This year, the electoral promise of planting a tree for every newborn will also come into effect, and the government will be planting around 12,000 indigenous trees, Herrera said.