An 8-mile diversion will be in place for those heading between Ryde and Sandown as Brading High Street is to be closed overnight for around 2 weeks as a result of utility works.
The road, which is used heavily by those heading between the 2 major towns, will be closed between West Street and Coach Lane from 18:30-06:00 each night between Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 15th February.
This is to allow for fibre broadband works to be undertaken.
Motorists will have to divert via Carpenters Road, Upper Green Road, Station Road, Embankment Road, Kings Road, Sherbourne Street, Foreland Road, Steyne Road, Sandown Road, Hillway Road, Bembridge Road to Marshcombe Shute – or the unofficial diversion route via West Lane, Ashey Road and Brading Downs.
Heading into Sandown itself will be even more of a pain with drivers forced to navigate the temporary lights on Yaverland Road whilst works to repair a damaged sewer pipe continue. Those heading into Sandown the other way will potentially face issues with Morton Common, which has been closed this week due to flooding and then ice.
Island Roads have said that the road will reopen earlier if the works are to be completed before the estimated end date.
You can keep up to date with the latest closures and traffic orders here.
UPDATE – A spokesperson for Island Roads has said:
“This work is being undertaken by WightFibre as part of their ongoing project to improve the Island’s broadband infrastructure.
“As a utility company, WightFibre has a legal right to undertake such work. Island Roads’ role is to work with utility companies to seek to minimise disruption. As part of this duty we have advised WightFibre that daytime working would cause significant disruption to road users. If this resulted in night working, we also requested no noisy work after 11pm and to have the highway fully re-open by 6am each morning.
“WightFibre has communicated with local residents in relation to these works. Southern Vectis has also been made aware and is introducing a shuttle bus service between Brading and Tesco.
“We will continue to monitor this work and encourage WightFibre to complete the project as soon as possible”.
This is a joke, WightFibre need sacking.
Lol …. how do you sack a company thats working for itself ????
And your solution to the problem is what exactly? Yes it is an annoyance but it is overnight, this is how the world is moving forward. How many people complain that the Island is behind the times? Yet when the Island gets updated you complain.
There’s already a provider of full fibre on the Island. The point is, why are island roads so inflexible with their plans. Particularly at times when there are already other closures in place forcing drivers into areas they are unfamiliar with in treacherous driving conditions.
Wightfibre are the only provider of full fibre on the Island (with speeds of 1Gb) unlike some of the confusing claims by BT & others who say they offer full fibre but then can only offer you a speed of 35-45Mbps & no I dont work for them
What are you all moaning at.Its only the sad Muppets that work it’s going to effect.Im on top wack benefits so don’t and never have to worry about getting to places.Apart from the pubs and holidays away ete etc.
Wightfibre doing their finest work again!!
Wightfibre is brilliant broadband. When they finish laying their kit it will be a massive improvement.
Work and working are not applicable words here. How about trying to use more than just one gang? Then there could be competition to see who would get finished first and thereby, possibly, stop messing the rest of us. No hope of that.
What about the buses?
Not happy unless it’s b*llsed up are they? Every where we go is b*llsed up in some way
I wish they did those road works on horsebridge hill at night time. Absolute nightmare getting through to cowes this week.
Disrupt the busy A road traffic just so bloody fibre broadband can be installed! All these road works and diversions and temporary traffic lights are becoming a pain.
I’m with you, who cares if the village wants better internet?!? I want to drive through that village every night. Where was the public consultation?
Just out of interest, why does the cable need to be buried under the road/pavement?
Aren’t there instances where it would be better to run it from poles in the street, like telephone and some electricity cables are?
Island roads say it will open earlier if work completed earlier its Wight Fibre more likely extended to 2 months
I wonder why we spent millions on up grading the roads for it all to b e ripped up a couple of years later.Surely there had to be some knowledge that there was to a major job relaying
cables in the future.
I sometimes wonder what is discussed in the council meetings. My guess it would
be what flavour biscuits should be provided.
It is time council planning looked further ahead and coordinated works. Not just grabbed £ from private companies. New roads dug up look like patchwork quilts already due to water, gas and fibre installs. Waste of money.
All being put in place ready for the 15 minute cities like Oxford.