Barrakka lift smaller than planned but larger than the old one
by Noel Grima
The Mepa board yesterday approved the new proposal for a lift rising from Lascaris Ditch to the Upper Barrakka, 51m up.
As has been widely reported, the design which was approved yesterday is not that space-shuttle-like structure announced by Minister Austin Gatt some months ago but a slimmer version. What were to be three cabins have been reduced to two.
However, the new lift will be larger than the one which was pulled down in 1972 due to the safety requirement of steps around the structure in case of an emergency exit. There was no such safety feature in the old structure.
The new structure will also be slightly shorter than the original, since it comes without the old, ugly command box on top. The lift will thus be 58m high, against the original 60m, while this time a hole 2.65m deep pit will be dug at the bottom. Thus the top will not rise above the Barrakka’s arches height.
The bridge link at the top is designed as a structural element to give stability to the whole structure. This is provided by a sliding joint penetrating a depth of 2m into the bastion, however not extending to the monument within the Barrakka arches. The canopy will be bolted to the Barrakka arches.
The original lift structure had the same vertical span and measured 5m by 1.8m. Its utilitarian design had a top solid part with the rest of the structure being made of iron girders. The new lift’s width and depth will be increased to 11m and 5.7m respectively.
This is required to accommodate two passenger cars and a central emergency staircase. The sizeable footprint is also required to provide physical stability to the structure since this will only be tied to the bastion wall at the Barrakka Level.