Island Roads is continuing an intensive programme of highway improvement activity which means more disruption for motorists, with the closures of busy roads like Ashey Road, Downend, York Avenue, Newchurch and the main road between Shanklin and Ventnor.
Autumn is a busy time for the company as it seeks to make best use of the period after the busy tourism season when roads are at their busiest, but before the winter months when cold, wet and windy weather is most likely to impact work.
The current programme of road improvement includes some major roads which will have a significant impact on Islanders – those travelling in private vehicles and on public transport.
The biggest impacts will be felt with the closure of York Avenue in East Cowes for 21 days, the closure of the main Shanklin to Ventnor road for 5 days and a 4-day closure at Downend.
Much of the current programme involves sites where it is necessary to excavate the highway so new foundations can be laid to rectify historical highway construction issues. This means 24-hour closures are necessary to reduce the need for future maintenance.
Currently, Island Roads plans to carry out major works as follows:
- Ashey Road, Ryde – closure at all times between 16th-20th October.
- Bouldnor Road, Yarmouth – closure at all times between 13th-20th October
- High Street, Newchurch – closure at all times on 30th and 31st October
- Downend – 24-hour closure between 6th-10th November
- York Avenue, East Cowes – closure at all times between 8th-28th November
- Church Road, Shanklin – closure at all times between 13th-17th November
- Newport Road, Lake – closure at all times between 29th November and 1st December
Although these roads will be closed as through-routes, access will be maintained to properties unless they are directly affected by the works. The work programme is subject to change for various factors such an inclement weather and Island Roads will work to complete schemes ahead of the published timescales if possible.
A spokesperson for Island Roads has said:
“The Highway PFI contract quite rightly seeks to reduce our activity on the network during the holiday season as this is when traffic flows are at their greatest and we don’t want to impact negatively on the tourism industry. But losing those summer months means we do have to intensify work at other times of the year – such as the autumn – to ensure the network is maintained to the required standard.
“While we do take steps to reduce the impact – such as our night works at Fairlee Road – it is not possible to undertake works of this nature without causing some inconvenience so we would like to thank residents in advance for their understanding.”
So, like before, York Avenue will be closed for 21 days which will probably become 60 days. And like before, there will probably be no work being carried out during the closure for weeks at a time, causing a huge inconvenience for everyone.
Before exactly right , so why hasn’t the surface held up ,poor quality materials ? Or workmanship .
dont say it’s a busy road we know that as so are the motorways with tarmac coverings who carry 100 fold what your Avenue carries if not a lot more
Motorways are purpose built with all of the latest equipment, technology and surfaced with asphalt which is far superior to the tarmac that is used to cover the ancient farm and animal tracks that we drive on today. Take a look at the Milly road probably the best road on the Island that was purpose built , sadly that is going to be left to disappear in the next few years.
It’s because they only take a thin layer off ,and shove a bit of tarmac back on top !!!!
A bit like a veneer…..
If they did it thoroughly the road would probably be closed for 6 months !!!!!!!
Not so – with the proper equipment it can be done very quickly.
I’ve seen a 10 mile long road in Scotland completely resurfaced in a single day using a machine that dug up the old surface and re-laid a new one as it trundled along.
They even resurfaced one direction at a time so no need for any closure at all, just a rolling set of traffic lights around the active work area.
Problem is, that sort of equipment is big and expensive and can’t be used were the roads don’t comply with even the most basic standards regarding the depth of buried pipes and cables so we use techniques that would have been antiquated in the 1920s.
Mark Island Roads couldn’t fill a pot hole in a day, yet alone resurface a road.
Time 7 men watch 1 man thinking about what to do, the day is over and it is time
to head back to base.
and we have several of potholes in St Edmunds walk and Church Road Wootton Island Roads calls it a permanant reinstatement its like a patchwork Quilt . just hope there contract finnishes early on the Island.
and they dont like walking and just park up on the footpath blocking the whole footpath and stopping disabled scooters and prams on to the road ,
Well, the holiday makers have gone so why not?, won’t impact them! So all good
Whoever employed the buffoons working for
Island Roads needs disciplining.
So many useless lazy bone idle employees shirking for
Island Roads.
A total waste of Island money
Is this the same part of York Avenue where Island Roads has just wasted money repainting the white lines even though the road is already marked out ready for repairs?
Why do so many Island Roads operatives
get paid high wages for sitting in vehicles
all day??!!
Any vacancies I could do with an easy job that
pays high wages for doing very little.
Does anyone in authority on the Island check why jobs overrun!
The Council’s Chief Internal Auditor should ensure the Council is protected from unfavourable/unwarranted contract variations.
They overrun because they are always sat in their vans
I know that I am the only one on the comments to give a positive opinion, but I passed workmen today who were struggling in terrible weather conditions and working very hard to fix a problem and I think they deserve a good wage for doing a job not many could not stand to do.
So before you sit down in your nice comfy chair, in your warm dry house and make nasty remarks please remember how lucky you are that it is not you doing that job.
I expect you still believe that the coal miners were over paid as well.
I can only imagine you are an Island Roads shirker.
Who else would stick up for Numpty’s.
I agree with you the ones doing the work (not the pen pushers driving around in newish vans which can put up with the potholes and rough roads) do a good job. The main trouble is either there are not enough of them doing the hands on work or lack of supplies arriving on time to get the job done.
It’s not just an inconvenience its a nightmare for home carers , deliveries and people who live in the area. As already been mentioned they never finish on time , they take long periods standing around , mobile phone and fag breaks and a little bit of rain and they are all huddled in their vehicles. How many times do they have to keep digging up the same bits of road over and over again. It’s neverending
Glad to see someone else notice what a bunch of useless layabouts
Island Roads employ.
Majority of them sit on their ar*es all day
Smoking in Company vehicles that is NOT allowed.
Looking at magazines, newspapers, eating and texting.
The biggest ever waste of money was when Island Roads
were formed.
Majority of them need sacking, they should be paid peace work.
Most of them would earn nothing.
Improve.!! That’ll be a first !!
Love how everyone moans about the roads yet when the do work they moan, if you know better or can do better apply for one of the many jobs they have! When will the islanders stop moaning?
all they do is broken 2 years later ..their work is crap we all know it..
They can’t even put signs out properly, let alone resurface roads!
Island roads employ enough people so why don’t they do shifts and work at weekends.
Maybe they want to spend time with their families at the weekends? Maybe if the roads were closed over the weekends people would moan about it even more! Maybe if they worked at night all the local residents would moan about being kept awake?
You mean they are going to repair roads and not pavements.You’re having me on.
Why all they do is sit and broken less than 2 years later absolute wabkers they are..
I suppose the faries resufaced the road at night at Fairlee?
Most of these keyboard warriers would not last a day doing physical work
We have to ask the question, were these roads repaired thoroughly first time around or just the ‘top tarmac’ relaid to make it look pretty???
Time to abolish Island Roads and bring back the old Companies who use to
look after the roads on the island, Companies like Mountjoy etc
Thosedays workers for accounttable for the work they actually done in a day,
unlike nowadays where workers get paid for doing very little if anything at all.
It is wasting money like there is no tomorrow.
And still some roads remain untouched. Atherley Road in Shanklin for example
Suggestion: Rather starting 20 different projects at the same time and then only allocating one workman to each, why don’t you start one job, allocate 20 workmen and just get the job done?
Same cost, same number of staff but FAR less disruption to the community.
It would also free up a lot of valuable orange cones. lol