Work to make safe Gills Cliff Road in Ventnor is progressing well with the section set to be re-opened to traffic on 9 August.

Gills Cliff Road has been closed for safety reasons since a significant rockfall sent tonnes of debris spilling onto the highway in February. A set of traffic lights were destroyed in the rockfall which saw boulders so big they had to be broken up before they could be removed.

In recent months Island Roads has been working on a design to stabilise the cliff face.

The solution, being installed by local company DDGA, will see a netting of high tensile steel anchored to the rockface by 70 rock anchors — or dowels.

The 300 square metres of netting will both support the rockface but also prevent any boulders that do become loose, falling into the highway.

A similar — though not permanent — solution was also used on the recent project to make Belgrave Road in Ventnor safe before it was reconstructed.

Welcoming the news, Councillor Phil Jordan, Isle of Wight Council leader, said: “It was always our intention to open up access to Ventnor as soon as it was safe to do so.

“These processes do take time but we have been working away behind the scenes to find solutions to difficult engineering challenges and I am pleased progress is being made.”

Madeline Clewett, Island Roads geotechnical engineer, said: “I am sure Ventnor residents will be relieved that work is underway and the re-opening of Gills Cliff Road is now very much in sight.

“We are once again happy to have been able to call on the expertise and skill of a local company to deliver this project.”

Please note, the planned finish date is subject to factors such as adverse weather or other on-site conditions encountered.