Shanklin South Councillor David Llewellyn has criticised Island Roads over the decision to close Apse Manor Road for carriageway repairs while Shanklin Road remains shut for gas works, describing the lack of coordination as unacceptable during the peak holiday season.
The Reform UK councillor has written to Island Roads on behalf of all Bay ward councillors seeking an explanation for the timing of the closures.
He is also calling for assurances that future roadworks will be planned more effectively to avoid unnecessary disruption when the Isle of Wight’s road network is already under significant pressure.
Councillor Llewellyn said he had accepted the initial week-long closure of Shanklin Road because of the need to carry out repairs to an ageing gas main beneath the carriageway. He was later informed the closure would be extended until 31st July after it was decided the entire length of pipe required replacing – a move he understood would help reduce future emergency closures.
However, after being told earlier this week that SGN needed a further week’s extension to complete the work, he was dismayed to learn that Island Roads was closing Apse Manor Road for resurfacing at the same time.
He questioned why the 2 schemes had not been coordinated, suggesting the carriageway repairs could have been postponed until after the main Summer holiday period.
Llewellyn said the overlapping closures caused severe congestion across the Bay area yesterday (Tuesday), with traffic backing up as far as the Aldi roundabout in Lake and journey times increasing by around 20 minutes for both residents and visitors.
