A major programme of highway improvement to some of the Island’s busiest roads is about to begin.
Fairlee Road in Newport, Brading Road in Ryde and Newport Road, Niton are among sites in line for improvement in the programme which is due to begin later this month and last until mid-October.
The most notable and high profile of those works is that on Fairlee Road – arguably one of the busiest roads on the Island.
Currently, works are being undertaken there by Southern Water and Island Roads has confirmed that its works – which are set to see the route closed for 5 nights – won’t clash with those currently being completed.
Traffic delays along the road are set to last practically all day now though with lengthy tailbacks seen at peak morning and evening rush hours.
The proposed general improvements to the road surfaces require full road closures so the busiest sections will be completed at night to minimise inconvenience to road users. The work has also been programmed to take place outside of the main holiday season when the road network is less busy.
While the majority of the highway improvement work was completed in the first 7 years of the Highways PFI, ongoing annual maintenance is required to ensure the Island’s road network remains at the required standard throughout the lifetime of the contract.
That means significant work is required annually. This year, movement caused by the exceptionally hot and dry summer has put additional strain on the network.
The forthcoming work will target the sections of the roads in the poorest condition, and see around 18,000 square metres of highway improved – the equivalent of nearly four-and-a-half acres, or 2 and a quarter football pitches.
The roads included in the programme are:
- Fairlee Road and the Racecourse (5 nights)
- Brading Road (3 nights)
- Newport Road, Niton (5 days)
- Bowcombe Road, Newport, (3 days)
- Little Whitehouse Road, Calbourne (3 days)
Island Roads construction manager Keith Gourlay said:
“This is a significant amount of work on some of our most-used sections of highway, so there will inevitably be some disruption to road users during the programme.
“However, we have to ensure the road network is kept up to standard, and this year the drought has put additional stress on the network which we have to address as well.
“We have scheduled much of the work at night-time and also outside of the main tourism season to reduce disruption and we thank residents in advance for their understanding.”
What about all the bits of road that have not been completed ie where they have re surfaced an area then left 100yards and carried on again are these not going to get completed ?
What about parts of York Avenue East Cowes
Bob their workmanship is totaly discusted i am ashamed to look at some of the work island roads carry out on this Island .
Branding Road where?
Great Preston Road Ryde, totally disgusting. No work there, of course. Typical
Double Yellow lines need to be placed along the length of Great Preston Rd Ryde.
Council (or whoever) have applied to do just that
Is Brading road being redone due to a certain ‘development’ being built nearby?
Some sections of the Middle and Yarmouth Rd the curb sides are breaking away, It looks like the drains are collapsing. I see there has been some attempt to plug the cracks with bitumen with little or no effect as they are still opening up
So is it in Priory walk Niton ,Cracked kirbs was used and even filled with cement ,these kirbs have now started to come away from the pedestrian hyway i even had a burst tyer over faulty kirbs in Priory Close, Niton ,pictures has been taken of the state of the kirbs , this is now a legal matter ..
I was told by a island roads steward they were going to resurface sandown road where it has sunk and been patched a few times
Nothing scheduled for George street or the duver from Seaview to Puckpool but there are some wonderful farm roads.
Great Preston Road is terrible,how come this road isn’t included in this re program of works. This road was supposed to been resurfaced in 2019
Great Preston Road requires traffic calming, resurfacing and double yellow lines to be placed.
One of the unsafest roads on the Island due to motorists parking on both sides of the Road.
The most dangerous part is outside the Council Houses on the bend past Preston close going towards Nicholson Road.
I doubt an Highways worker as ever been down this Road to see how unsafe this Road is.
I can only say that it is well about time the Fairlee Road was looked at.
I have been here 20 years and it has not been touched in that time.
My only concern is what the guys may find when they start as the road has been sagging at the Racecourse end since the 90s when the sewers were put in across it. The piece down where the likely new housing estate is going has dropped considerably over time and now has cracked open. The 40+ton small wheeled HGVs seem to make this problem a whole lot worse.
Bring on the works, it can only be better….can’t it?
Fairlee Road needs completely replacing from the roundabout all the way to Newport, but no, all they are going to do is patch a few places, disgusting. Presumably whatever work is done will then be dug up by Wightfibre straight away and a useless trench left in the road.
Paul there contract should not be renewed by the I.O.W Council , i am utterly appauled by the way roads are just closed off and the way contracts are carried out on this Island they are certainly not to BS, first item when their contract started was to give themselves all new plant and Vehicles so maybe Island roads is now penny pinching .
Lets hope its not Island Roads doing the work.
Crown Park would be a better choice.
By the time the Island Roads driver picks up his skivvy.
Then they drive to get some breakfast, then attend the site of the job
required to be done.
They then look at it, sit in the vehicle have their breakfast, read a newspaper.
Then they do the 10 minute repair, then it’s time for lunch.
Then they go and park overlooking the Sea
Then go back to the yard.
Not a bad day for doing **** all and getting paid a decent wage.
Alright for some.
Spot on.
I use to be a groundworker and that was a typical day working for Island Roads.
Prior to working for Island Roads I use to work for an Engineering company who made us
Work like Trojans.
Island Roads was a piece of cake – zero leadership, tax payers money
Say no more.
Carisbrooke road is a main road and is in a terrible state
The road outside carisbrooke garage is awful and has been for a long time
Bring back the romans they knew how to build roads to last and not to keep wasting our raising taxes we pay
Could Island Roads please let me know when and where these main roads are that they say they have improved. The roads on the Island are in a dreadful state.The IW Council should accept responsibility for allowing it to happen.
If the work had been completed properly in the first place, they wouldn’t need to go back a second time on the roads that have been bodged!!!!!
By “works not clashing” I assume they mean that they’ll wait until SW have finished, then close it again – doubling the pain rather than coordinating to complete the works at the same time.
Island roads wants to look at the way they conduct their works ,and not just a bodge up effort , the kirbs needs 100 % attention on this island ,having seen the way island roads lay the kirbs in Priory Walk Niton is apalling and this would not meet BS regulations ,what you do not do is to bed kirbs on top of the roads with cement mortar ,Kirbs should be hauntched and suronded in concrete .
Depends what was in the so called contract that only an expert can work out.
It’ll just be the usual put the traffic lights up cordon off with cones dig a few holes and clear off.. be back in maybe a week causing a lot of diversions etc.
just can’t start a job and work through until it’s finished.
Bet the person in charge loves the Monday morning feeling of sticking a pin in the island map ‘where can we cause the most disruption this week’ …. doesn’t matter that all these bits of jobs waiting unfinished cause disruption and more petrol for motorists.