Work to reopen Lower Gills Cliff Road is hoped to be completed by early August, the Isle of Wight council have revealed.
Local company DDGA has been appointed to deliver the Gills Cliff Road scheme.
Closed following rockfall
The road was closed in February following significant rockfall sent tonnes of debris spilling onto the highway.
The planned work will see large sections of the rockface be covered by heavy duty steel netting, designed to prevent further debris from falling onto the highway.
Extensive surveys
The solution has been agreed by Island Roads and the Isle of Wight council following extensive surveys of the area.
The council say that one challenge has been to identify areas within the rockface where it is safe to anchor the netting without causing further weaknesses.
An Island Roads spokesman said,
“Since the initial rockfall, we have been working closely with the council to agree a suitable solution that will enable us to safely re-open the road.
“I’m pleased to say we have now instructed a local company who have worked extensively in the local area. It is difficult to give definitive timescales due to factors such as the unstable nature of this site and the need to source bespoke materials but we are all doing our level best to complete the work and re-open the road as soon as we can.”
Island Roads also confirmed it was working with Ventnor Fringe organisers to assist with any specific transportation issues they may be facing in the run up to the event.
