1 comment.Road improvements being carried out in Marsalforn
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The local council of Zebbug, Gozo, are conducting extensive work on several roads in the locality of Marsalforn. This work is being carried out at the present time in order that everything is completed for the Easter holidays in Gozo, when many people will be visiting the island over the Holy week.
The work of the local council is being done with the full support of the Parliamentary Secretariat for Consumers, Fair Competition, Local Councils and Public Consultation, within the Office of the Prime Minister, through funds granted to Zebbug local council in 2009.
Altogether, about 1.2 km of roads of roads in the Marsalforn area are being repaired at a total cost of nearly € 177,000.
During an on site visit of the work, the Parliamentary Secretary for Consumers, Public Competition, Local Councils and Public Consultation, Chris Said, saw the work being carried out. Zebbug Mayor, Charles Saliba and local council architect, Edward Scerri, explained the details of the work being done.
Chris Said said that the Government recognises the importance of this type of work and this year direct allocation of funds to local councils to carry out works on roads, will rise to €5.2 million. These funds will be ringfenced to ascertain that they will actually be spent on roads. Through this fund it is estimated that during 2010 approximately 170 residential streets around Malta and Gozo will be repaired. Councils are now also able to make public and private partnerships with private contractors for this type of work as well as the maintenance of them for ten years.
Parliamentary Secretary, Chris Said, went on to say that he thought that through this fund, the council will carry out between € 8 million and € 10 million in works on residential streets. These works do not include that work which is done through funds allocated directly, ie € 5.2 million for 2010.
Besides the project of repairing the roads, the Zebbug Council also has been installing energy saving street lights on several of the roads in Marsalforn. This project was financed by special funds of the FIU (Urban Improvement Fund).
For me things look a bit half done. A case in point is St. Mary Street. Surely the works could have been carried to the top.There are other streets that are important and were given the side line. Is there hope that these will be done some time in future? maybe the new elected committee will get things going.