As Island Roads gradually resumes its carriageway and footway improvements programme following a suspension of work due to the Covid-19 outbreak, night-time work is set to resume later this month.
Though the most intensive period of resurfacing work is over, Island Roads is planning a further four years of significant activity to ensure it is well placed to meet the requirements over the remaining 18 years of the Highways PFI contract.
The contract requires the average condition of the carriageways and footways to be brought up to an agreed level. With over 90 percent of the main roads now improved, much of this year’s work will focus on lesser trafficked, typically residential, roads.
From late June, there will be crews working dayshift and nightshift to minimise disruption on the network.
Though the programme could potentially change due to weather and or operational constraints, the first road due to be upgraded in this year’s night work schedule is Garfield Road, Ryde, over two nights.
Night work is also planned to improve Melville Street in Ryde, Hillside and Sea Street in Newport, a section of Forest Road, Newport, (between Snow’s Garage and Westwood Farm, some 200 metres to the west) and also Upper Road in Brading.
Roads to be resurfaced with day works in the coming weeks include Sun Hill in Cowes, Corve Lane in Chale, Grange Road and Orchard Road in East Cowes, Royal Exchange, and Mill Street, Newport, Well Lane in Brading and Moortown Lane in Brighstone.
Information boards will be put out at all work locations in advance of work commencing.
Steve Ashman, Island Roads service director, said: “While we have continued to undertake highway maintenance work throughout the Covid-19 outbreak, we are now in a position to carefully step up our resurfacing activities in line with the latest Government advice
“This has followed sessions with our staff where we have looked at the importance of maintaining social distancing practices wherever possible, and we would also encourage the public to maintain social distancing where they encounter us working.
“Though the level of work will not be as intensive as we have seen in the last seven years, it is nevertheless significant and a great many residents will see the roads they live in and travel along upgraded in the coming period.
“Inevitably, road improvement work of this nature and scale may cause some local inconvenience so, once again, we would like to thank residents in advance for their co-operation and understanding.”
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