Island road reopens after landslip repairs

NEWLY repaired St John’s Road in Wroxall, Isle of Wight, will be fully re-opened by the end of today, Wednesday, March 1.

Temporary traffic lights have been in operation since last November when a landslip sent tonnes of debris into the highway.

As is standard in such incidents, the soil could not be moved until a survey established ground conditions as it is possible the fallen material was supporting the bank behind meaning its removal could cause further movement.

However, following a study commissioned by the Isle of Wight Council, steps have been taken to stabilise the bank and the spoil has now been removed.

The steps include creating a temporary retaining wall from concrete-filled hessian bags to support the slope and also placing a protective matting over the area to prevent more debris spilling onto the highway.

Permanent

Design works continue to identify a permanent solution which will require further traffic restrictions, when introduced in the future.

The community will be informed of these plans and factors such as the need to reduce disruption, particularly when the road is at its busiest, will be considered during this process.

Councillor Phil Jordan, Cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “We are pleased to be making headway with this project and I am sure the local community will be pleased that we have been able to remove the traffic lights and fully re-open this key rote into Wroxall as a first step.

“We’d like to thank the community for their understanding and co-operation over the past few months and also the local member Cllr Rodney Downer who has taken a great interest in finding a solution.

“We will of course continue to monitor the embankment and should additional ground movement occur, there may be a need for temporary traffic measures to be reintroduced.”

PICTURED: The temporary retaining wall on St John’s Road