Planned Isle Of Wight Road Resurfacing Suspended, Says Island Roads

Island Roads says it has suspended planned resurfacing of the Isle of Wight's roads - and footways - due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the firm is reassuring Islanders that work on St Mary’s roundabout will continue, in line with current government advice. Island Roads says it is 'mindful' of the impact that project has on many people’s journeys and wants to deliver this in line with the agreed timetable. The company says it will continue to undertake tasks such as repairing road defects, keeping the streets clean and bins emptied, cutting the grass so that it does not reduce visibility and keeping the traffic signals and street lights working. The firm said: "Although a large part of the population has been asked to stay at home during this period, it is important that we keep the roads and surrounding areas properly maintained so that the key people who need to get to work, especially our NHS staff and emergency services, are able to do so without delay or increased road risk. "Island Roads employees undertake a key role for the Island by keeping the highway network safe and free flowing. "Our work falls within the construction sector where government advice is to continue with these activities. We have followed this advice and have adapted all our activities to comply with Public Health England Guidelines. "We have separated our operational crews into two shifts and have staggered the start times to help keep our teams separate. We are now also operating with only one person in each vehicle for 99% of our activities and have sourced additional vans to make this happen. "We are helping our crews with safety equipment and providing guidance and support on hygiene standards. We have also set clear requirements on distancing from work colleagues and it is expected that this advice will be complied with for all but a limited number of activities where this may not be achievable." Island Roads says Islanders may see services being undertaken at different times – typically earlier or later in the day. The firm says it will seek to minimise noise at these times in particular. An Island Roads spokesperson added: "Fortunately, we are currently in a phase where required manpower levels are not as high as they have been during other elements of the scheme. This has made social distancing easier to achieve. "While the information above outlines the current situation, naturally there is a risk that in the coming days and weeks, our staff become unavailable either through sickness, through self-isolation or because they have caring duties. "In anticipation, we have undertaken contingency planning with our partners and supply chain to ensure we have the required staff and resources to undertake our responsibilities." Islanders can report highway problems via the yellow button in the top right hand corner of our website homepage www.islandroads.com or via this direct link https://fms.islandroads.com/. Alternatively you can email the company via [email protected].