17 July 2019
Motorists in the eastern parishes are reminded that resurfacing works on La Grande Route de Saint Martin begin this weekend, and will continue for around five weeks.
From 1pm on Saturday, 20 July, resurfacing will take place in phases between Five Oaks and St Martin’s Church. The road will be closed in sections to minimise disruption, starting between Les Amis and Maufant Village.
Islanders planning to travel through the area can check the progress of the works by visiting gov.je/roadworks before beginning their journeys. The website gives full information about the project, and about the diversion routes that islanders should follow.
Highway Maintenance Manager, Rob Cabot, said: “This is an important project to keep the road safe for motorists. We’re sorry for any inconvenience that the closures will cause, but the project is being carried out in phases to keep disruption to a minimum. We are also carrying out most of the work during the school holidays, when the roads are less busy.”
The road’s underlying structure is in poor condition, so as well as replacing the top surface, contractors will also replace the layers below. Since large areas of these lower layers require replacement, the road closures will need to stay in place overnight throughout the project.
Diversion routes will be clearly signposted, and islanders are asked to follow these, rather than taking shortcuts.
Mr Cabot added: “Diversion routes are carefully chosen to make sure that they are suitable and safe for the volume of traffic. I would like to remind drivers travelling in the area to please follow the recommended diversions – taking shortcuts can compromise safety, and can cause a disturbance to residents.”
Buses will continue to operate in the area, but some services will follow the diversions, and some bus stops will be temporarily suspended. A free shuttle will operate in these areas. Bus users can find full details about changes to bus services on the LibertyBus website.
The project will cover 11,700 square metres – around 1.17 miles of road. It will take about 10,000 worker hours to complete, and is expected to use around 4,000 tonnes of asphalt.
Parish roadworks will also be taking place on La Rue de la Croix au Maitre in St Martin from Monday, 22 July. Islanders can find out more about these roadworks on the trafficworx map, or by contacting the parish.
gov.je