In recent years millions have been spent to upgrade the road network to cope with the sharp rise in population. A quick tour around the island is enough to get a glance of the ongoing works such as the Luqa junction next to the airport, Għadira Bay,  St Joseph High Road in Santa Venera and other projects in residential areas.

More often than not these works are necessary if not long overdue. As long as the number of licenced vehicles on the road continues to rise at the present staggering rate of 29 per day there is price to pay. These works are not only needed to improve the capacity but also to keep the roads in a good state of repair as heavy traffic is likely to leave its toll on the infrastructure. In other instances works are carried out to repair existing or install new services ranging from water mains, sewers, electricity cables and telecommunication.

Unfortunately, throwing more money to solve these problems has done very little in terms of coordination, accountability, quality of works and traffic management. Moreover, projects are taking way too long to be completed ranging from months even for short stretches of residential roads to years when dealing with major projects. In some cases, delays are the results of cessation of works or else slowing down to snail’s pace. These are the sort of circumstances which leave motorists, residents and pedestrians incensed. A case in point are the works along Għajn Tuffieħa road which have been dragging for months as well as trenching in residential parts of Mellieha. In both cases the sites are akin to an abandoned workplace with poor signage and haphazard temporary surfacing works. Photos of the appalling conditions of these roads have made the rounds on social media, but it seems nobody has lifted a finger to address the situation. Consequently, motorists are damaging their vehicles while residents have to brace themselves for plumes of dust whenever it is windy.

To add insult to injury, the long wait for the completion of these projects at times is short-lived as there have been quite some instances whereby it transpires that the road needs to be dug up afresh! This was the case along Xemxija promenade most of which has been reduced to a pile of debris less than two-years after a €300,000 embellishment project.

Scenes like these are more associated with third world countries if not warzones. Despite all the pledges and political commitments for better coordination we have made no progress in this regard. The issue goes beyond management, work practices and legislation. It is amply clear that unless there is a mentality change across the entire construction industry things will never change. In this respect, unless government starts leading by example there is no chance of a quality leap which all taxpayers deserve. By the looks of it, Malta’s never ending roadworks story will is here to stay.