A brand new €8 million bypass is set to connect Żabbar to Smart City in Kalkara, with works kicking off in just a month’s time.

The project, revealed during a press briefing this morning, aims to ease traffic congestion in Cottonera’s residential zones by creating an alternate route for vehicles — while also prioritising pedestrian and cycling access.

The 1.6km two-lane bypass will cut through parts of existing roads and a concrete rural track before passing through a field underneath the St James and St Louis bastion walls in Żabbar — ending near the Notre Dame Gate.

While the new route will take up around 3,000 square metres of agricultural land, architect Antoinette Conti from Transport Malta noted that this is a major reduction from the 14,500 square metres proposed in a 2007 four-lane plan. That older proposal would have bulldozed straight through agricultural land — this one focuses on upgrading what’s already there.

The bypass won’t just be for cars — it’ll include fully segregated pedestrian and cycle lanes, with parts of the design blending into the historic glacis and ditches around the bastion walls.

Around 30 trees and shrubs will be removed, but the plan includes planting 40 new indigenous trees in their place.

Architects say the project has been carefully designed to respect the heritage of the area, particularly the bastion walls near Notre Dame Gate.

Infrastructure Malta’s Walter Portelli confirmed that the bypass will be built in phases. The first phase, starting as early as next month, will focus on Triq il-Missjoni Taljana and Triq Santa Liberata. A second phase set for July will cover Triq Joseph Calleia and Triq il-Kanun tal-Mija.

Planning permits are not required for most of the initial works, since they fall within existing road footprints. However, permits will be needed for the area around Notre Dame Gate, where expropriation of private land is already underway.

The entire project is expected to take three to four years to complete.

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