Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg announced that work on the Sally Port project, with an investment of €9 million, began this month.
The work is being carried out by Infrastructure Malta and will include the reconstruction of about 600 metres of quays in the area known as Sally Port or “It-Toqba”, and transforming it into a new promenade. In collaboration with the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC), this investment will also include the upgrading of the Kalkara Waterfront and the locality’s square, in the same area.
Minister Ian Borg said, “This is a project that the people of Cottonera, especially the Vittoriosa residents, have been waiting for many years. But our vision is a clear one. This is a government that puts in work and practice in order to deliver what is on paper to the people. As I announced yesterday through the works that are being carried out in Birgu square as well as the regeneration that is taking place in Senglea, today will be another very important step that will continue to empower the Cottonera so that we, as Maltese, will be proud of our heritage and of these historical places that give us that unique Maltese identity.”
The reconstruction of the Sally Port quays will turn a neglected seafront area in Cottonera into a new promenade, with wide, paved footpaths, benches and decorative lighting. It will also include a public garden, new public toilets and landscaped areas with flower beds and shrubs suitable for this coastal environment.
This new outdoor recreational space will be directly linked to the centre of Vittoriosa, through the historical sally port tunnel built within the bastions separating the quays from the city. It will also be connected to the Vittoriosa (Birgu) Waterfront, creating an uninterrupted pedestrian route from the Villa Bighi area of Kalkara to the Birgu marina, the Dock 1 area of Cospicua, the Senglea waterfront and all the way to Boiler Wharf, beneath the Gardjola Gardens.
