Nadur-Mgarr road reconstruction tender still in appeal stage, no date for completion

The tender for the reconstruction of the two roads that lead from Nadur to Mgarr in Gozo is still in the appeal stage, the Ministry for Gozo has confirmed, despite having announced that work for one of the roads would start a year ago.

In September last year, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana had announced, in an on-site press conference, that works were to start and that the Nadur-Mgarr road’s foundations would be rebuilt and utilities channelled underground before a new surface was laid.

A tender by negotiated procedure for the reconstruction and resurfacing of part of Mgarr Road was issued in June 2018. According to the tender document, the works had to be carried within four months from the date of order to start works.

According to the law, a negotiated procedure means the procedure whereby Contracting Authorities consult the economic operators of their choice and negotiate the terms of a contract with one or more of these.

The tender was awarded to Road Construction Co. Ltd, Gozo’s leading building contractors, for the price of €652,207.

Two months after, the same road was closed off after a section caved in. The Ministry had then said, in reports to the media, that complications had arisen and more studies were needed to be carried out to ensure the road is properly built. 

It was reported that the contractor that won the bid had closed off the road to minimise the danger, that was evident. When asked by this newsroom if works had actually commenced on this road in September and if yes, why were they stopped, the Ministry did not reply.

In a Facebook post in January 2019, however, Caruana said the road would be built from scratch and that the project was proceeding as planned and accepted. The post shows a picture of a part of the road that had been dug up.

The Malta Independent on Sunday went to the area and found that the road is still closed off today and no workers were seen on site. One way signs appear along the road, as well as several diversion signs. Sources have told this newsroom that no works have been carried out on the road for about a year. 

In May this year, a new tender, for ‘Reconstruction of Triq Imgarr (Nadur) and Triq Sant’Antnin (Ghajnsielem) Gozo)’ was issued. The subject of this tender is the reconstruction of the two roads including structural, infrastructural and piling works.

The execution period of the tender is nine months, although the mobilisation period extends it by a further three months.

Three tenderers have submitted their bid, with Road Construction Co. Ltd being the recommended tenderer with the lowest bid of €7,992,359.01. 

When asked about the progress of the tender, the Ministry confirmed that the tender is being awarded, and is in fact in the appeal stage. When asked why it took so long for the tender to be issued, following the announcement to the media in November that more studies were required, the Ministry, did not reply. 

“The road works involved are a total road build-up and is a multimillion project. Considering that road works have been due for decades and considering the terrain challenges, geotechnical investigations had to be carried out,” the Ministry told this newsroom. “This enabled us to design a long term project and address the issue permanently and secure peace of mind to Nadur residents.”

When asked when actual works on site will commence and when the road project will be concluded, in its entirety, and reopened to the public, did Ministry did not reply.

‘Bigger and immediate investment needed for roads in Gozo’ – Clint Camilleri

The Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries, Clint Camilleri also said in a Facebook post, last week, that bigger and immediate investment was necessary for a number of roads to be built from scratch in Gozo, including Nadur, which were left to deteriorate for a number of years.

Camilleri, who is from Gozo, appealed for Infrastructure Malta to be “allowed” to work in Gozo. The roads agency, which he said was changing the face of Malta’s roads with efficiency and professionalism, is not responsible for Gozo’s road infrastructure. 

 

Farmers cannot access the fields – Chris Said 

Gozo PN spokesperson, Chris Said explained that the road starts off in Nadur and ends at the Mgarr port, making it the arterial road leading to the port. For this reason, he noted that the road falls under the responsibility of the central government.

Furthermore, in Gozo these arterial roads were not transferred to Infrastructure Malta, as is the case for arterial Maltese roads, because of strong objection from the Ministry for Gozo who wanted to keep these roads under her Ministry, Said said.

He did note that the road has been damaged for various years and patching was always done to fix this road. 

A year ago, Said said, Caruana held a press conference and the contractors dug up the whole road, so much so that today no cars or pedestrians can pass through it. “The road has been closed for a year and in the last year, no work was done. In the whole year, no workers were seen on site.”

Said also said that farmers cannot access the fields, whilst people that need to travel from Nadur to Mgarr, and vice versa, have to pass through Qala or Xewkija, which he commented, is a much longer route.

Furthermore, he added that the Nadur football pitch is not accessible from Mgarr. Business for a private restaurant situated on the road has also taken a big turn for the worse, due to the road situation.

“The road could have easily been done from EU funds, however, the government over the last six years has not applied for any funds for roads in Gozo,” Said said.