Dozens of roads are due to be improved in the coming months as Island Roads continues its work to upgrade the Island’s highway network.
All types of highway from main roads to quieter rural and residential streets are included in the programme which will be delivered using both daytime and night-time working in order to reduce inconvenience.
The work is being undertaken by Island Roads to ensure the network is maintained at the required standards for the remaining 18 years of the Highways PFI contract.
Steve Ashman, Island Roads service director, says:
“We have been busy delivering highway improvements for seven years now and the level of work we will undertake this year and beyond is still significantly above what would have been carried out in the days before the highways PFI.
“In previous years, we have focussed heavily on those main routes that are most used and almost 90 percent of the Island’s main roads have already been upgraded.
“Though some main roads have been included in the coming programme – York Avenue in East Cowes and Forest Road in Newport for example – the emphasis is currently more on residential streets and smaller rural roads.
“This will of course mean some disruption so we would like to thank residents in advance for their understanding and co-operation. There will be a lot of work being undertaken but we hope residents will think periods of local disruption will be offset by the long term improvements we will make.”
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As is customary, residents and local elected members will receive letters in advance of work while information boards will also be put out as appropriate to give further advance notice.
Roads currently scheduled for improvement by day works until the end of August include Sun Hill, Cowes; Lower Church Road, Gurnard; East Cowes Road and Burnt House Lane in Newport; Seaview Lane, Nettlestone; Steyne Road and Church Street, Seaview; Norton Green, Freshwater; Palmerston Road, Shanklin; St Albans Road, Ventnor and Newport Shute at Arreton.
Roads earmarked for improvement in night works include Castle Street, Ryde; Marlborough Road, Ventnor; Park Road, Cross Street Car Park and Town Quay in Cowes; Lugley Street and Crocker Street in Newport and Quay Lane in Brading.
This schedule is subject to change.
Steve added:
“We will of course also be continuing the major Newport junction improvement work at St Mary’s which I am pleased to say is progressing very well despite the challenges of managing a major construction site through the Covid-19 outbreak.”
We can only hope that Island Roads are improving the standard of their work.
New Road in Brading, for instance, had over 40 surface failures within the first two years, due to lack of repair or strengthening of the base layer before the resurfacing.
The same thing shows up on many resurfaced roads around the Island.
It seems to be that Island Roads either do not survey properly before starting work, or consider that simply scraping off the top surface and laying fresh material without repairing weak points is acceptable.
We would like to thank residents in advance for their understanding and cooperation.
Compunctious feelings of apprehension.
Would Steve Ashman make it clear to us how it is to the benefit of the Isle of Wight that Island Roads will resurface one end of a road, then later do the other end, but leave a central section crumbling and full of potholes – and not for months but for years.
What is the thinking behind that?
Is it contractually – and therefore financially – beneficial to Island Roads?
Is that why they close the same road on multiple occasions, send out crew and equipment on multiple occasions, inconvenience the road system users of the Island on multiple occasions? What is the reason behind that?
Anyone who has ever planned any project would certainly not suggest resurfacing a road in this way. They would close it once, resurface it properly once, -and get the job done. Once.
So is it really down to incapable planning by Island Roads, or do they end up with more of our money by causing repeated inconvenience along a given road?
With years left on their contract, I think we should know. So we can olan accordingly, even if they apparently cannot.
Agree 100%. In East Cowes they’ve resurfaced York Avenue, but the stretch opposite Prince of Wales and the garage is in an awful state, and not doing your car any good at all. Seeing as how heavy goods use this road all the time… leaving it as it is makes no sense… but…. y’know… what do we expect… it IS Island Roads!
Maybe the third world Great Preston Road will get a make over this century
Soon the traffic along Great Preston rd will be so dense and slow, as Penny Feathers and Bullen farms are covered in tarmac, paving, and concrete, with inner city inhabitants swarming from the 1000 PLUS homes, that the pot holes won’t matter to the 2mph traffic gridlock, and will make many of the homes new inhabitants feel quite at home.
Agreed.
Spot on, sir!
Is that what they call it
Should have read dozens of roads and pavements to be messed up by Island Roads.
if we have to wait much longer, our road will improve by itself. how? the little remaining tarmac will erode away, leaving us with the original concrete surface.
Fantastic News! Soooo happy!