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Four Bidders, Including Foreign Investors, Make Bids To Earn Lucrative Malta-Gozo Tunnel Contract

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A tunnel link between Malta and Gozo has taken a massive step forward, with four separate groups confirmed to be in the running to win the lucrative contract.

Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg revealed that the four companies are separate consortiums from all four corners of the globe. Borg said that investors from mainland Europe, China, Turkey, Japan and the Netherlands have all shown interest. No more details on the consortiums were given.

All four have satisfied requirements and will all enter discussions with the state to ascertain the final design of the tunnel. There will be more scrutiny of their plans before proceeding with selecting a final two.

Flanked by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and Infrastructure Malta Head Frederick Azzopardi, Borg said that the interest confirmed Malta’s attractiveness for foreign investment. The process to find a bidder kickstarted in 2018 after years of studies.

A few weeks ago, Borg said that the tunnel plans were crucial following the COVID-19 pandemic and could provide much-needed jobs for people looking for work. He once again reiterated this statement in the press conference.

Access between Malta and Gozo has been up for debate in recent years, with the government and opposition both backing plans to establish a permanent link between the islands.

Both the PL and PN voted in favour of the project when it went before parliament.

Its necessity has been questioned with the introduction of a fifth ferry significantly improving the maritime connectivity between the two islands.

Environmentalists and activists have long raised concerns of the negative impact of the project on both the environment and Gozo itself.  However, many Gozitan residents argue that the link is vital to sustaining itself in the long term.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri stressed that the permanent link is a dream for many Gozitans. He warned of brain drain in Gozo, with its youth flocking to Gozo in their droves for a better opportunity.

So what are the plans?

According to documents published earlier this year, the tunnel is to have a life above 120 years and will have to cater for a minimum of 9,000 vehicles per day.

Of this total, 5% have to be heavy vehicles, with access to bicycles and pedestrians to be forbidden.

The tunnel will be 14 kilometres long with two separate lanes in either direction and with each measuring 3.5 metres wide.

Other specifications include a minimum headroom of five metres, a 70 km/h speed limit and a series of lay-bys at 500-metre intervals. Additionally, the tunnel cannot be out of operation for more than 200 hours per year for maintenance purposes and will operate on a 24/7 basis.

The tunnel route is recommended not to pass through St Paul’s Bay or Ċirkewwa due to heavy traffic in that area. Preliminary plans had indicated that the entrances and exits for the tunnel would be in Imbordin l/o Mġarr in Malta and on the outskirts of Nadur in Gozo.

What do you make of this?

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Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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