Excavation works in Santa Lucija for a new underpass has led to the discovery of an underground shaft and rock-cut remains of “various degrees of heritage value,” the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage announced on Monday afternoon.
The announcement was preceded by a social media post on Sunday by The Save Santa Lucija Open Spaces Network group as well as confirmation by Infrastructure Malta in reply to questions posed by the Times of Malta.
Plans for the roadworks will reportedly be amended to ensure that the structures which have been discovered at a site which was formerly a jogging track.
In further comments, an Infrastructure Malta spokesperson said that the area has been cordoned off and covered, while the routes of various services which were initially intended to pass through the site have now been altered.
Rock excavation will reportedly now be employed using differing methods so as not to risk causing damage to the shaft.
The spokesperson told the Times that plans are currently being drafted in order to establish a new permanent entrance, providing access to the underground shaft which would enable studies to be undertaken by archaeologists.
