MP’s Cries On Dangerous Xemxija Hill Were Ignored For Five Years, Then Two Serious Accidents Happened
Two serious traffic accidents in 24 hours have forced the government into carrying out emergency roadworks at Xemxija Hill, but an MP has been flagging this problem for the past five years.
PN MP Robert Cutajar first raised the issue back in 2015, when he warned then Transport Minister Joe Mizzi that the road’s poor state was inconveniencing drivers and asked him whether any maintenance or tarmac works will be carried out.
Mizzi responded that temporary roadworks took place on that hill recently and that more permanent works are in the pipeline, following the completion of coordination discussions.
However, permanent roadworks never materialised and the road kept falling into disrepair.
The first major accident on Xemxija Hill this week
Meanwhile, Cutajar kept flagging this issue, warning Transport Minister Ian Borg in 2017 that a spout of rain had damaged the road. Borg responded that a study on how to upgrade the road is underway.
Similar questions were asked in 2018, 2019 and 2020 but the road kept deteriorating.
Things eventually came to a head this week, when several cars were left damaged due to a gaping pothole in the middle of the road.
A day later, a car crashed into three vehicles before overturning on that same road.
The second major accident
Infrastructure Malta announced that emergency works will be carried out on Xemxija Hill to repair surface damage caused by weak foundations. The road is set to remain closed until next Friday.
Cutajar said that while he’s pleased to see these problems he’s been flagging for years finally get addressed, Xemxija Hill should be rebuilt from scratch.
Do you regularly pass through Xemxija Hill? What do you make of the state of the road?
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