The lengthy closure of Ventnor’s The Graben – which was due to get underway during the week of the Isle of Wight Festival – has been pushed back by 7 days. The Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads have been working with Southern Water to agree on a plan around important work to maintain the sewer at the geological fault in Ventnor, which was discussed at a public meeting earlier this month– as previously reported by Island Echo. It had originally been planned that the road was to close on 17th June, however, the Isle of Wight Council has now confirmed that due to the added influx of people on the Island for the Isle of Wight Festival that weekend and the fact that Southern Vectis cannot run a shuttle service between Upper Ventnor and the closure site, works have now been pushed back by week until the 24th June. The road will be closed for at least 11 days. The feeling of the meeting was that it was better for Southern Water to undertake the required work as soon as possible rather than risk the situation becoming worse meaning more lengthy emergency repair works may be required later in the year, possibly at the height of the tourism season. Because of the need for deep excavations, a 24-hour road closure will be necessary during this period. All traffic will be diverted via Whitwell in both directions. A Council/Island Roads spokesperson said:
“We realise that this work will inevitably cause disruption, particularly while Leeson Road remains closed. “However the feeling of the recent public meeting in Ventnor was clear that Southern Water are able to undertake the work as soon as possible ahead of the main holiday season and before the ongoing movement at the Graben causes further major damage to infrastructure which would take far longer to remedy.”
Meanwhile, the council is currently commissioning safety work to enable Gills Cliff Road to be re-opened as soon as possible. Unfortunately, though this work is being done as a priority, it will not be possible to re-open Gills Cliff Road prior to the start of the Graben work.
Good old southern Vectis…. Doesn’t the council give them like 4 million a year?
No doubt a large proportion of drugs leave Ventnor for the festival, so wise not to close this route at that time.
For it would be hard on the social housing tenants who would then have to manage just on child benefit, child & working tax credits, free rent and council tax and five finger discount to make ends meet.
So for once a good decision.
Just what are you on about exactly? Random ranter
Good to see ridiculous idiots are alive & thriving on the Island. Keep your snout in your Daily Mail
it will not be possible to re-open Gills Cliff Road prior to the start of the Graben work why not you have had long enough
Gills Cliff Road was a priority, apparently?
So Island Rogues had a proper scratch of their heads before deciding it was indeed a bit too much like hard work, and commissioned a report instead.
Apparently outsourcing road maintainace leads to efficiency!? I would take a public service ethos every time.
If the delay means that Double Decker busses will not be using all of Downlands Crescent to turn around then it is worth the wait. The last time we had all parking stopped (except for the dozen or so ‘abandoned’ trade-in cars left by the garage which never moved) and busses going past our houses all day and night causing major damage to the road and that was only for a couple of days! A simple shuttle service from Wroxall to upper Ventnor and back is the most obvious and simplest resolution due to the very small passenger numbers, but it is claimed that Southern Vectis don’t have a single decked vehicle on the island.. perhaps they can get a couple now.
I passed three quite small SV single deckers between Ryde and Wootton only the other day. I can only assume they were all committed to schools journeys though, as they were running “not in service” at about 2 30pm.