Resurfacing delays mean road closed overnight

Rebecca Brahde
BBC News, Isle of Man
BBC The Mountain Road looking in the northern direction. There is heathland on either side of the carriageway and a clear deep blue sky above.BBC
A section of the Mountain Road is set to be resurfaced

The closure of a section of the Isle of Man TT course has been extended due to delays in resurfacing part of the carriageway.

It follows a breakdown at the Department of Infrastructure's asphalt manufacturing plant which had led to production at a "slower rate than normal".

Works on the A18 Mountain Road from the Creg Ny Baa to the Bungalow, which began on Thursday evening, were as a result of a spillage of a bituminous material by a contractor.

The department said the "knock-on effect" of the production delays meant the road would remain closed until 08:00 on Saturday.

Initial works on Wednesday to remove a substance spilt by a contractor were unsuccessful, leading to the need for the original 24-hour closure for the resurfacing.

The Mountain Road stretching from the Bungalow through to Brandywell. It is on a sloping mountainside covered in heathland. There is a building at the Bungalow on the right with cars parked in front of it and there are three cars travelling on the road. There is a metal footbridge over the road on the left.
A section of the Mountain Road from the Bungalow to Creg Ny Baa will close

The department said the new surface would then need time to cool and harden before traffic could use it, leading to the extension of Friday's closure.

It previously said work on a 689ft (210m) stretch of the Ramsey-bound lane between Brandywell and Hailwood's Rise would need to be resurfaced to deal with the spillage.

The scope of the works would mean centre line and edge line markings as well as the roadside studs would need to be taken out and reinstated as part of the works.

To enable the works to take place, resurfacing on the New Castletown Road in Santon was suspended for the team to be redeployed to the Mountain Road.

Temporary traffic lights in Santon would be temporarily stood down until work could resume next week, with the temporary speed limit through the works to remain in place, it added.

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