Botched works, mounting delays plague €7 million Ħal Far race track

Freshly laid concrete is already being dug up at the government’s long-promised quarter-mile race track at Ħal Far after significant faults were discovered in works that had barely been completed.

Sources close to the project told The Shift that entire sections of the track had to be ripped out and redone because the workmanship failed to meet required standards.

Parts of the surface had developed humps and dangerous deformities that would have posed serious risks to drivers once the facility became operational.

Instead of moving toward completion, the contractors, Elbros Construction, have been forced to reverse course and excavate concrete that was only recently laid.

The mishap will delay the project’s delivery, which was originally scheduled to open this year as part of a broader pre-election pledge. Costs are also expected to rise further, making this already expensive undertaking even more costly.

Government sources insist the contractor will bear the expense of remedying the defects. Yet the wider financial and timeline implications remain unclear.

Elbros Construction, the company entrusted with the €7 million direct order, has not previously featured in comparable contracts issued by Infrastructure Malta and is not part of the agency’s established framework agreement with road contractors. The contract was awarded without a competitive tender.

The decision has raised eyebrows across the construction industry.

According to sources within Infrastructure Malta, the direct order originated from within the Office of the Prime Minister, where an official has been overseeing the development of motorsport facilities at Ħal Far, which Prime Minister Robert Abela promised ahead of the last general elections.

Despite repeated requests for clarification, neither Infrastructure Malta nor the ministry responsible for sports infrastructure has explained how Elbros was selected.

The controversy is compounded by the fact that Elbros Construction is simultaneously building a large ODZ villa in Żejtun for the Prime Minister and his wife.

Planning Authority records show the property, spanning two tumoli of land, was acquired shortly before Abela took office and is now being redeveloped into a new mansion complete with a pool and landscaped grounds.

Meanwhile, the quarter-mile strip, the first phase of a wider multi-million-euro motorsport complex that also includes a karting circuit and a two-kilometre racetrack, remains far from completion.

Major tenders for the first phase of mechanical and electrical works, finishes, and the installation of specialised equipment, such as advanced safety barriers, have yet to be published.