Major Roadworks Planned For New Road In Brading Next Month

Major improvement works are set to begin on New Road in Brading next month, with motorists warned to expect closures and delays.

Island Roads will be carrying out the scheme from February 2, with work expected to take up to four weeks.

Large sections of New Road between Marshcombe Shute and the High Street will be resurfaced and repaired.

The project involves deeper-than-usual excavations to fix underlying problems that have caused the road to deteriorate.

As part of the works, one section of New Road — between Marshcombe Shute and Wrax Road — will be closed to through traffic.

Pedestrian access will be maintained, and residents will still be able to access their properties where it is safe to do so.

To reduce disruption, a second crew will be working between Station Gardens and the High Street using 24-hour temporary traffic lights.

Traffic will be able to pass through this section under managed control while work is carried out.

Island Roads says splitting the scheme into phases and using two crews will help shorten the overall duration of the project.

The work is being scheduled during the winter months to avoid disruption on a key route during the busy tourism season.

Island Roads has acknowledged that the roadworks coincide with other activity on the Island’s road network, including utility works by Southern Water.

This means HGVs will face extended diversion routes, partly due to a one-way restriction on Elenors Grove in Wootton.

An Island Roads spokesperson said the work is urgently needed and delaying it could lead to repeated emergency repairs during the summer.

They added:

“While we recognise this will cause inconvenience, particularly for HGV drivers, carrying out a full upgrade now will help avoid ongoing disruption later in the year.”

Island Roads confirmed it had explored alternative diversion routes, including using The Mall, but these were deemed unsafe.

The approved diversion for HGVs is around five miles long and runs via Marshcombe Shute, Sandown Road, Steyne Road, Foreland Road, Church Road, Embankment Road, Station Road and Carpenters Road.

Southern Vectis has confirmed that its Number 2 and Number 3 bus services will be diverted via St Helens and Bembridge during the works.