Barriers dividing the two lanes of the new Msida flyover “can be easily removed” in case of an emergency, Infrastructure Malta said on Thursday after concerns were raised.

The roads-building agency was responding to concerns that fire trucks and ambulances would be unable to respond to an accident due to the design of the flyover.

The Msida traffic bridge, which opened on Thursday at midnight, includes two narrow lanes separated by a short barrier.

Firefighter Glen Ciantar was among those who raised concerns.

“I could never understand how single-lane flyovers are permissible. Let us hope that an accident or emergency never occurs on it (which is impossible to ever rule out), because the consequences could be serious and fatal,” he said.

“Imagine the traffic that would form — how would an emergency vehicle reach a seriously injured patient or patients trapped in a burning car, when in an emergency, time is critical for every patient?” Ciantar said.

But a spokesperson for the agency said: “The barrier provides a very high level of traffic safety.”

They said the curved base of the concrete structure also means that vehicles will suffer no or minimal damage if their tyres touch the barriers.

The barriers are also light, meaning they can be manually lifted up and moved to allow for emergency vehicle, they said.

“This also creates more flexibility to traffic management when compared with other barriers we have in our roads,” they said.

Despite their weight and the fact that they are not bolted to the ground, “in the event of an impact, the vehicle’s own weight creates additional barrier stability. This helps to optimise protection with a very narrow barrier.”

The barriers are also interlocked, they added.

The Infrastructure Malta spokesperson said that all entities, including the Civil Protection Department, were consulted at the design stage and there were no objections to the proposed road design.