Sliema seafront roadworks to close bus lane for two months

That is the practical headline for anyone who uses this stretch daily, and in Sliema the practical headline is usually the real one. The corporation said the works begin on Wednesday and should take around two months, with excavation and cable-laying along the seafront itself.

The project centres on a new 4.5-kilometre 11KV cable between Manoel Island and the Ferries area, which Enemalta said is meant to meet increased electricity demand and provide a direct connection from the Manoel Island distribution centre serving central Sliema. It also said it will lay 2.7 kilometres of new low-voltage cables to strengthen the local network.

Enemalta’s case for the disruption is straightforward enough. It said demand in the area has risen sharply in recent years as population increased and tourist numbers grew, while the existing cable has accumulated a high number of joints over time, making it more prone to faults. Replacement, on that account, is not cosmetic maintenance but overdue reinforcement.

“This is a section of the network where replacement is the right long-term solution,” Enemalta executive chair Ryan Fava said. “The new cable will increase our capacity and give us a stronger direct connection into central Sliema, while the installation of new low-voltage cables will further strengthen the low-voltage network in the area.”

The trade-off is visible even before the trenches open. A bus lane running parallel to the seafront disappears for the duration, and one of the more crowded outbound routes narrows further. In a place where road space is already argued over by buses, cars and sheer volume, infrastructure upgrades do not arrive quietly.