Two Years Later: Roadworks Expected To Commence On Neglected Żejtun Road By End Of Month
Water Services Corporation is hopeful that it will continue working on a neglected road on the outskirts of Żejtun by the end of the month, bringing an end to a two-year saga that has left residents in the area irritated and frustrated.
For two years, Triq Xrobb L-Għaġin has been left in a state of disarray, with the street occupying numerous potholes and filled with building debris, causing an incessant headache for the neighbouring residents.
“We ventured into third-world standards,” a resident of the area told Lovin Malta. “The road isn’t good enough for vehicles to pass on so they constructed the surface with debris, leaving a plume of dust when cars pass by,” he said.
Photos sent to Lovin Malta show the extent of the road’s neglect.
Furthermore, last month, Marsaskala local councilor John Baptist Camilleri brought light to the issue and urged authorities to continue working on the road during a stipulated time frame and with a specific plan.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, Water Services Corporation CEO Ivan Falzon said he was hopeful that work on Triq Xrobb L-Għaġin will begin by the end of April.
“This is one of the projects that has been lagging behind,” he said. “In July, we started procedures to terminate the contract for the contractor responsible for the area and started the process to issue a new tender for the works.”
“The tender was published in December 2020 and the process closed in February,” he continued. “I’m hopeful that by the end of this month, we’ll be in a position to start these works once again and end this saga.”
According to Falzon, the delays of the past two years have been a result of nonperformance by the previous contractor. The roadwork forms part of a wider project to restore New Water, which is drainage water treated to be redistributed for agricultural purposes.
“Triq Xrobb L-Ghagin will be done in six to eight weeks from when it starts,” he continued. “The wider project is earmarked to finish at the end of 2022.”
Residents of the area also complained that workers were illegally breaking asbestos pipes in the area, something Falzon says he isn’t aware of.
“The complaints from residents are justified but obviously, being a newly funded project, there are limitations on how we can act. We cannot just go with a direct order to assign works etc.,” Falzon ended.
Are you affected by these roadworks?