TT organisers have identified several sections of the Mountain Road that require improvement prior to the running of the 2023 Isle of Man TT. This work and other maintenance activities will take place during April.
The work includes:
- Resurfacing between Ramsey Waterworks and below the Gooseneck
- Resurfacing and drainage repairs at Windy Corner
- Reconstruction of collapsed drainage culverts across the carriageway at the 32nd Milestone, and surface repairs
- Annual preparatory works ahead of the TT Races, such as installing marshal stations, painting, erecting signage, etc.
- A range of regular maintenance tasks
The work will be undertaken in two phases.
Phase 1: Road closure Ramsey to the Bungalow, Monday 3 April to Saturday 8 April. The road between the Bungalow to Creg-ny-Baa will remain open, along with the Tholt-e-Will Road junction. This closure is to enable the resurfacing of the section below the Gooseneck. While it is planned for the road to open ahead of Good Friday (April 7), this is weather dependent and cannot be guaranteed.
Phase 2: Full Mountain Road closure Ramsey to Creg-ny-Baa, Tuesday 11 April to Friday 28 April. Tholt-e-Will Road junction will remain open to enable access to the Snaefell Mountain Railway, Snaefell Café and Victory Café. The closure may be extended until Friday 5 May in the event of delays due to poor weather or other unforeseen issues.
Tim Crookall MHK, Member of the Department for Enterprise with responsibility for Motorsport, said:
‘Ensuring the Mountain Course is in its best possible condition for racing is crucial to the success and appeal of the Isle of Man TT. Planning this type of project involves close collaboration between departments — I’m grateful to everyone involved and also for the patience of the travelling public and affected businesses while the work takes place.’
Infrastructure Minister Chris Thomas MHK said:
‘The Highway Services team will maximise the opportunity the closures present and undertake a range of tasks for the benefit of general road users in addition to the work essential to the staging of this year’s TT. The Mountain Road is always a challenging environment in which to work but a robust plan is in place to ensure the work is done as efficiently as possible while maintaining the standards expected.’
The closures have been carefully planned while taking into consideration the following factors:
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The weather on the Mountain Road can be significantly worse than on roads at lower altitude. Ambient temperatures from late autumn to early spring frequently fall outside the temperature range where asphalt can be successfully laid. Other issues encountered at these times include heavy rain and mist, which could significantly delay operations.
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It is good practice to surface at least 4 to 6 weeks ahead of motorcycle racing to ensure that a new surface has bedded in sufficiently before racing takes place. This time restriction rules out resurfacing work on the Mountain Road between May and September.
While the closures are in place, parking will be restricted during the day on Ballure Road, Ramsey, and during certain periods on parts of New Road, Laxey, to ease the flow of commuter traffic.
