The Department of Infrastructure (DoI) has announced a 10-day full closure of the Mountain Road next month to allow essential preparation work ahead of this summer’s TT.

The A18 will be closed 24 hours a day from 9.30am on Tuesday, April 7, until 3.30pm on Friday, April 17.

The closure will cover the sections from Creg Ny Baa to the Bungalow, and from the Bungalow to Ramsey.

A corridor between Bungalow Bridge and the Victory Café will remain open to allow access to the eatery, Snaefell Summit Café and Snaefell Mountain Railway from Sulby via the Tholt y Will Road.

Access to the Beinn Y Phott Road junction will not be available during this period.

The programme includes a range of works to ensure the road is ready for TT traffic, including installation of poles, signs, race safety equipment, marshalling posts, and painting of bridges and kerbs.

Cyclical maintenance such as gully clearance and verge cutting will also be carried out.

Sections of the road will undergo paver resurfacing and surface patch repairs, while damaged roadside walls at Gooseneck Waterworks and the Hairpin will be reconstructed.

Replacement of signs damaged in previous road traffic collisions is also planned.

Contractors will fell more than 20 roadside ash and elm trees between Stella Maris in Ramsey and Ballure Waterworks, all of which are dead or dying.

The DoI has scheduled a contingency period from Friday, April 17, to Thursday, April 23, to accommodate any potential weather-related or operational delays.

Without such delays, the road is set to reopen on Friday, April 17 at 3.30pm.

Highway Services has reminded the public that the Mountain can be a harsh environment and that some works, particularly resurfacing, are weather dependent.

The department said all activity is aimed at ensuring the Mountain Road is safe, fully prepared, and ready for TT.