The Central Link road project has been a controversial topic, to say the least, from when it was first announced and since its approval by the Planning Authority (PA), including a vote in favour of it from the Environmental and Resources Authority (ERA), varying narratives of what exactly is going to happen are bouncing around in public conversation.
Apart from the information being shared by the government, the NGOs and news outlets have been pointing fingers at the ‘claims’ or ‘misinformation’ being shared by Infrastructure Malta and other government officials or connected outlets.
These are the narratives as they have unfolded since the day the project was approved by the PA.
The trees planted will be mature, four-metre trees and not saplings: Infrastructure Malta
One of the prevailing issues being raised is that the “new” trees to be planted as substitutes, or as compensation – in line with the minimum indicated in the Environmental Impact Report (EIA) – will be saplings.
Whilst the four-metre minimum promised by Infrastructure Malta might not be as appealing as promising fully grown trees, they are a far cry from being called ‘saplings’, and the contractor will also have to maintain the trees for five years.
Inversely, despite being told that this will leave the region with 285 more trees than there are today, it is important to note that this is less than half of the 1,649 trees needed to comply with ERA regulations, although they could still technically pay a €500 fine for every tree it does not plant below that figure.
The number of trees to be uprooted could also be reduced, as Infrastructure Malta has said that it is looking at reducing the total number of trees removed from 549 to 439.
It has also said that 67 of these trees are protected and that 185 of them will not be discarded but transplanted in the same project area under the guidance of experts in the field.
The number of Aleppo Pine trees could potentially also be reduced to 44 from 110, although this is simply hearsay and has not been confirmed.
Infrastructure Malta has also said that it will be planting “hundreds more trees in other parts of Malta as further compensation for the ones that need to be removed”, although they did not specify an exact number or where precisely they will be planted.
The EIA report states that, once the new trees establish themselves, the adverse impact [of removing existing trees] during the construction stage will gradually be phased out. Since there will be more trees than there are currently, the overall impact is expected to be beneficial in the medium to long-term.
Widening roads alone will not solve traffic challenges – Frederick Azzopardi
To the surprise of many, Infrastructure Malta CEO Frederick Azzopardi said that the widening of roads alone would not resolve Malta’s traffic challenges, and insisted that something must be done in the short-term while we wait for long-term transport plans to unfold.
In fact, while overall total emissions and travel time will reduce over time – compared to where they would have been without the project – both these issues will continue to persist without a proper, long-term plan covering both car use and population is put into place.
Malta is the ninth most densely populated country in the world and this density is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Coupled with a current rate of 33 new cars being introduced onto Maltese roads every day, the capacity of the upgraded roads will eventually be reached.
