Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg has announced the completion of the tunnel between Malta and Gozo.
While officially the massive project is still in the planning stage, Borg revealed he had secretly ordered construction on the tunnel to start a year ago.
Speaking to journalists at the newly opened Gozo side of the tunnel in Nadur, Borg said:
“I knew the project would get bogged down for years by trivial things like environmental impact assessments, public consultations, objections, and Graffitti protests. So I paid off the farmers who work the fields at both entrances in return for their silence, hired some Turkish workers and got to work.”
The minister was unperturbed by possibly legal action.
“Far be it from me to suggest what my detractors do, but I think appealing would be a waste of time. If we lose, what will we do? Bury the tunnel again? And you know, I bet the people who criticised the tunnel will now use it,” Borg said, adding that he had cancelled all ferry services.
In recent years, Borg has often been criticised for announcing the opening of projects before they are fully completed. Asked if this was the case with the tunnel, Borg said:
“Well, OK, it’s not 100 percent finished. We still have to install the lights, and we also need to fully test the waterproofing. Oh, and only one lane is open, so you can go from Malta to Gozo, but you can’t come back. But other than that, it’s completely fine to use.”
Borg also announced that the one million cubic metres of rock that were dug out during the excavation of the tunnel would now be used to build a land bridge to Lampedusa, with the aim of invading and improving the road network of the tiny Italian island.
“Did you know there isn’t a single flyover in Lampedusa? Well, that will change very soon,” he said.
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