Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/985406
NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 MAY 2018 2 MASSIMO COSTA THE government will be em- barking on a €55 million road infrastructure project in the central areas of Malta, which will see the creation of 7.4km of new lanes, and which aims to reduce travel time in the area by half and cut vehicle emissions by 13.5%, Trans- port Minister Ian Borg an- nounced yesterday. The 'Central Link Project', which will be co-financed by the EU, is expected to take around two years to complete, and should improve the route between the Mriehel bypass in the direction of Birkirkara, Balzan and Attard, going on until the Saqqajja hill rounda- bout, which connects Ta' Qa- li, Attard, Rabat, Zebbug and Mosta. When asked about the is- sue of the government us- ing agricultural land to cre- ate roads without solving the problem of too many cars on the roads, Borg said that while using alternative means of transport was im- portant, it was still necessary to address the congestion problem by improving the road infrastructure for those who still choose to use their cars. "We will be using much less land for this project than what we are permitted to use," Borg highlighted, "The project will add 19,300sq.m of landscaped areas, as well as a number of cycle lanes, which promotes greener transport." "Buses will also be able to drive through the improved lanes quicker, resulting in less emissions," he said. The project, which will af- fect around 30,000 vehicles that pass through the area, will involve the redesigning of 13 junctions, and add 2km of bicycle lanes and 10.7km of pedestrian pathways. "According to the cost- benefit studies which were undertaken, if the project – which had been planned for decades and was approved by the Nationalist adminis- tration – does not take place, pollution in the Attard/ Balzan area will increase threefold," Borg emphasised, "The previous administra- tion had projected that it would take more agricultural land, but we will be using less." A rainwater collection sys- tem to prevent flooding will be put in place, and the com- munications infrastructure in the area where the works will take place will be mod- ernised, he added. The tender for the project has been published, and will now be submitted to the relevant authorities for ap- proval, which could take six to nine months, he said. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt €55 million central Malta road project aims to halve travel time, reduce emissions The project will affect around 30,000 vehicles and will involve the redesigning of 13 junctions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 An engineering report complet- ed in 2015 confirmed the initial test results. The NAO said the project clo- sure agreement signed in 2009 be- tween the government and Skan- ska, the Swedish company that was entrusted with the design and construction of the hospital, had included a waiver clause request- ed by the company. Apart from the settlement of €5,125,000 in variation costs, the agreement meant that the parties were also waiving "all concerns, claims or disputes". "According to the President FMS Board, the waiver clause was inserted on the insistence of the SMJV (Skanska Malta Joint Venture). Aside from governance concerns relating to the manner by which the waiver clause was introduced, the NAO's attention focused on the resulting implica- tions of this change, with govern- ment exposed to significant risks arising from latent defects and left with severely limited means of re- course to rectify such defects," the NAO said. Furthermore, the NAO noted that performance and retention guarantees held by the govern- ment foundation, valued at €7 million, were released in favour of Skanska, despite the two par- ties having pending differences of opinion. "In the NAO's understanding, the contradiction in the acknowl- edgement of pending issues and the simultaneous release of the €7,000,000 guarantees is evident. While bearing in mind the impli- cations of the waiver clause within the project closure agreement, the Office is of the opinion that the FMS should have ascertained that pending matters were resolved prior to consenting to the release of the guarantee," the report said. In its concluding remarks, the NAO said a comprehensive inves- tigation of the hospital project was not possible, "primarily due to the significant lack of documentation with respect to all stages of the project". It added that notwithstanding the FMS's long-term responsi- bility for the management of the project since 1998, it was unable to provide the documentation requested by the NAO, including the project's accounting records. "The NAO is of the opinion that the foundation's inability to pro- vide basic information relating to a project of this magnitude repre- sents an institutional failure and gross negligence in the adminis- tration of public funds," the audit office said. Lack of documents hampered NAO investigation Gozo will get its share of €700m roads budget GOZO minister Justyne Caruana said in Parliament that Gozo would be get- ting its share of the €700 million the government has pledged to invest. "Gozo should benefit significantly from the €700 million roads project," the minister said, adding that she had discussed plans for Gozo with infra- structure minister Ian Borg for Gozo to have its own allocated budget. "The allocated funds must be a lot more than what is being allocated at present," she continued, emphasising that the funds should be allocated over and above the ministry's current €1.8 million line-budget. Caruana said her ministry would soon be publishing a first draft of a regional development plan for Gozo leading up to 2030, with consultations having started in the summer. She said that a detailed study on an alternative road leading to Mgarr as well as the possibility of having a ring road or bypass in Rabat were priorities to ease traffic in the area. The minister stressed that Gozo has been deprived of the necessary funds to carry out maintenance on its aging roads for too long. She said that there must be a change in the mentality that Gozo should accept lower standards. "We must change the mentality where as far as Gozo is concerned, eve- rything passes, that we are content with crumbs and what has been left on the shelf gathering dust remains there and is eventually forgotten," said Caruana. The NAO has concluded a three-year investigation into the Mater Dei hospital project and the findings are anything but good • Investigation was prompted in 2015 after the discovery of defective concrete structures Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi (right) with former FMS CEO Brian St John (left), who were responsible for the 2009 closure agreement with Skanska (Photo: DOI)