Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1198140
NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 JANUARY 2020 2 YESTERDAY morning, Infra- structure Malta's contractors started the Central Link Project, a €55 million investment to re- duce travel times, improve air quality and create safer spaces for alternative modes of travel along the arterial road corridor between Mriehel and Ta' Qali. Works on this long-awaited upgrade are starting after the project plans were approved by the Planning Authority and re- viewed by the European Com- mission in 2019. Last November, these plans were also reconfirmed by the Environment and Planning Re- view Tribunal, which rejected a request by NGOs and seven in- dividuals to revoke the project's permits. A few days ago, the Civil Court's First Hall also refused a request for a prohibitory injunc- tion made by the same groups and reaffirmed that Infrastruc- ture Malta can start implement- ing the project immediately. The Central Link Project is based on plans included in the 2006 Central Malta Local Plan, which had already indicated congestion along L-Imdina Road, In-Nutar Zarb Road and other nearby roads as a major problem for Attard and nearby localities. Infrastructure Malta optimised these 2006 plans to augment long-term efficiency and sus- tainability, to mitigate adverse impacts on adjacent lands and to add new infrastructure for bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists, which are currently al- most inexistent along this route. The National Transport Mas- ter Plan 2025 also lists the L- Imdina Road and In-Nutar Zarb Road corridor as the 12th of 29 priority sections of the EU's TEN-T network in Malta that need to be urgently upgraded for increased safety and efficiency. This project will halve travel times in this area and drasti- cally reduce congestion pollu- tion in nearby residential areas by reconstructing 13 junctions, removing four traffic lights sys- tems and adding over seven kil- ometres of new lanes along a 4.3 kilometre road corridor. It also introduces many fa- cilities for alternative modes of travel, including over 10 kilome- tres of safe pedestrian footpaths and segregated crossings, bus lay-bys and the longest segre- gated cycle track in the Maltese Islands, connecting Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan, Attard and Ta' Qali. Infrastructure Malta will also develop over 24,000 square me- tres of new green landscaped ar- eas along the project route. Initial works starting this week include the excavations for the foundations of the new lanes, footpaths, bus lay-bys and cycle tracks that will be built along the project route, which ex- tends from the Mriehel Bypass, along L-Imdina Road, through Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard, to the roundabout at the foot of Saqqajja Hill, at Ta' Qali. Infrastructure Malta is coor- dinating the works in different phases to minimise difficulties to over 30,000 road users who use this part of the network eve- ry day, and to nearby residents in Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard. During this initial stage of the project, all existing lanes will remain open. The agency's pro- jects team will communicate any works necessitating lane clo- sures to road users in advance and will make sure that such disruptions are scheduled to off peak hours, with adequate di- versions and alternative routes. Works on site are starting af- ter a multi-disciplinary team of experts completed a meticulous planning process, which includ- ed a public consultation process and a comprehensive envi- ronmental impact assessment. These independent studies ana- lyse the short-, medium- and long-term benefits and impacts of the project. It also considers different proposals for the up- grading of the area's road net- work and identifies the Central Link Project plans as the most beneficial solution in terms of air quality improvement, en- vironmental sustainability and travel time reductions. These scientific studies also confirm that the congestion dif- ficulties faced by thousands of commuters every day will get worse if existing infrastructure is not improved. In fact, according to these studies, if the existing road network in this area is not upgraded, travelling from Mrie- hel to Ta' Qali will take commut- ers two hours fifteen minutes, advancing at 1.83km/h in grid- lock conditions. These studies also project that the improve- ments introduced by the Central Link Project will reduce existing travel times by 50%, even when considering potential future in- creases in transport demand. The air quality study included as part of this assessment, which is based on 2018 air monitoring in several locations along the route, shows the effect of this gridlock situation on the area's air quality. If the project is not implemented, particulate mat- ter in the area, including At- tard and Balzan, will increase by 278% by 2030. Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are the two main pollutants linked to road transport emissions. By eliminating existing bottle- necks and congested junctions, Central Link Project will reduce particulate matter by up to 66% by 2030, even when considering future transport demand. Simi- larly, nitrogen dioxide emissions will also decrease by 41%. Central Link Project work underway with excavations along route