Yesterday, in a historic sitting, the Maltese Parliament granted its unanimous support for the construction of a permanent link between Malta and Gozo.
While many people – on both sides of the channel - fear that this development will lead to a loss of Gozo’s unique, independent character, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana said that it would be up to the Gozo Regional Development Authority to ensure that the tunnel link would not have any negative effects on the island.
Opposition MP Chris Said, who has long been a supporter of the project, said Gozitans were extremely dependent on connectivity with the Maltese mainland, and that each government had done its best to make this connection better and easier.
He highlighted various amendments put forward by the Opposition to ensure that the project was executed “with attention to the common good”, including carrying out and publishing all necessary studies related to the project.
Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg described it as a historic moment, adding that Gozitans could no longer be expected to depend on good weather to get to work on time. He said that the tunnel would better unite Malta and Gozo, and that Gozitans would no longer feel obliged to move to Malta to seek career opportunities.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that infrastructural projects of this nature did not necessarily lead to loss of character, comparing the tunnel to the roads leading to Valletta and Rabat. He added that the motion before the House simply expressed Parliament’s will for the project to be carried out, and did not give Government the right to do whatever it wanted.
Now, the big question is whether to go ahead with an above-ground undersea tunnel or with an underground tunnel.
While the undersea tunnel would minimise the production of construction waste, it would also lead to massive and irreparable damage to the underwater environment, according to Dr Muscat.
How do you feel about the Malta-Gozo tunnel link?