One of the biggest roadworks schemes seen in the Isle of Man in recent years is on target to be completed ahead of schedule.
The £4.3 million project to reconstruct the ‘switchback’ Peel Road was originally expected to take 80 weeks to complete.
Work began in mid-March and highways director Richard Pearson said he was pleased with the progress so far.
He said: ‘It is on target to be completed in less than 80 weeks.
‘The scheme involves a lot of excavation so there is always a possibility of unforeseen ground conditions and also the project will continue through a Manx winter which adds another uncertainty and therefore I would not want to formally confirm an early completion at this time.’
Mr Pearson said work on strengthening Pulrose Bridge and the associated junction improvement is complete and significant lengths of kerb, including the special drainage kerb are already installed.
Traffic is currently flowing one way only into town with vehicles leaving town diverted via Pulrose Road/Groves Road.
The highways director said: ‘We are currently working on the southern side of the road and working away from Pulrose Road in each direction.
‘The next phase will continue on two work fronts, firstly between Waltons Digital World and the Fire Station and secondly between Hills Meadow eastern entrance and the Brown Bobby traffic lights. The current traffic management arrangements will remain during these phases.’
Traffic disruption has been not as bad as first feared.
Mr Pearson said his officers were monitoring the traffic congestion at Groves Road/New Castletown Road. ‘Signal timings have been adjusted to try to better accommodate the higher traffic flows at the junction. Drivers are still encouraged to use alternative routes where practical,’ he said.
He added: ‘The department would like to thank drivers for their continued patience and also remind the public that all businesses remain open and accessible.’
Fours weeks were shaved off the length of the first phase of the project involving the closure of Pulrose Road for bridge strengthening and junction improvement works.
This was reduced from the predicted nine weeks to five weeks following an engineering review - and has taken the overall project time from 80 weeks to 76.
The entrance to Isle of Man Newspapers’ Publishing House headquarters will be closed for a week from Tynwald Day to allow the carriage way and footpath to be reconstructed. Eurocars have kindly agreed to set aside a small number of spaces for visitor parking.
Peel Road has had no major repairs for more than 25 years. The highways director said it had ‘demonstrably the worst ride quality of any strategic route in the island’, with road surface severely cracked, the concrete slab sub-base having shifted and there being significant subsidence as well as drainage problems.