Four-week Mountain Road closure postponed
BBCA month-long closure of the southern end of the mountain section of the Isle of Man TT course for resurfacing ahead of the 2025 races has been postponed.
The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) said its asphalt plant at Poortown Quarry had suffered a gearbox failure and could not produce the material needed.
The A18 Mountain Road will instead close in two sections over two weeks for preparatory works including the installation of TT race equipment.
The road is the main route used by commuter traffic between the north of the island and the capital.
As the department is unsure when repairs will be complete the planned remedial works, including the installation of three new drainage culverts, have been suspended.
The DOI said the planned project included "significant resurfacing works" and required approximately 3,500 tonnes of asphalt.
'Sufficiently trafficked'
A DOI spokesman said as it could yet be confirmed when the plant would be back in operation the decision had been taken that it was "prudent to postpone these works".
The improvements would now be rescheduled to take place after the Manx Grand Prix, which runs from 17 to 19 August, as resurfacing or road reconstruction works on the Mountain Road must be completed a month before any race period to ensure the new surface had been "sufficiently trafficked prior to racing", he said.
Other surfacing works by the DOI across the island that require "lesser quantities of asphalt" would continue with material supplied by the privately operated asphalt plant at Billown, he added.
A 3.5 mile (5.7 km) stretch of the A18 Mountain Road will now shut between the Bungalow and the Creg ny Baa from 09:30 BST on 7 April until 11 April.
The northern section of the road from the Bungalow to Ramsey will then shut from 14 to 17 April.
The road will be closed throughout both periods, but will reopen earlier if the works are completed ahead of schedule.
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