After around a year of works, the Msida Creek flyover opened to drivers at midnight.
While the broader project is still underway, the opening of the flyover represents a major milestone, particularly as it was delivered with minimal disruption to the general public.
WhosWho.mt spoke to Ian Napier, the general manager of Polidano Group, which is handling major civil works and will be responsible for 10 years of maintenance for this public infrastructure.
Mr Napier recounted how, after winning the public tender, Polidano set themselves mini-milestones to minimise public inconvenience and disruption.
These included designing the works in such a way that would allow Msida residents to celebrate their village feast and observe their traditional Good Friday procession.
“When the project was announced, some people had already resigned themselves to the belief that these events wouldn’t take place,” he said.
“However, we designed the project in such a way that accommodated these events. People had enough space to celebrate the St Joseph village feast, complete with street parties and fireworks.”
And while traffic was diverted according to the state of the roadworks, the original routes and junction entry and exit points remained in place.
“We didn’t take possession of the entire site and close it off to traffic, but rather we left routes open for commuters although it was a sacrifice for us,” Mr Napier said. “We cooperated well with the authorities and even provided advice.”
Another milestone was the decision to open the flyover in December 2025, timed to accommodate increased social and commercial activity over the Christmas period.
With the flyover done and dusted, focus will now turn to the embellishment stage of the project, along with minor infrastructural works.
Shrubs and trees will be planted in the area, a multi-storey car park will be built with a non-intrusive design, and a long underground water well and channel will be set up to tackle the area’s notorious flooding problem.
Meanwhile, the boċċi pitch will be rebuilt with modern facilities, new family parks will be created, and a pedestrian bridge connecting the two Kulleġġ bus stops will allow cars to freely pass through the flyover without having to stop at a pelican crossing.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Mr Napier said.
He also expressed pride that the project was fully carried out by Maltese companies, from design through to implementation.
Besides Polidano, the joint venture of companies which won the Msida Creek tender included E&L Enterprises, which took care of the steelworks, and Electrofix, which handled the mechanical and electric works.
