Manx Utilities has rejected claims it failed to properly assess traffic impacts before closing the road at White Hoe on the Old Castletown Road, insisting the works were necessary and carried out in line with approved procedures.

The issue was raised in Tynwald this week by Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse, who questioned why vehicle flow data had not been collected prior to the closure.

The works, which involved replacing a large underground valve chamber cover, continues to cause significant disruption for commuters, particularly those travelling into Douglas from the south and west, with long delays reported.

Responding, Manx Utilities chairman John Wannenburgh said traffic management approval was a matter for the Department of Infrastructure.

He told Tynwald: ‘Manx Utilities provided the technical scope and timing for the essential works and proceeded in line with the arrangements authorised by the department.’

Addressing concerns about data collection, Mr Wannenburgh added: ‘There were no traffic counters placed at White Hoe since it is not on the proposed route for transporting wind turbines to the Earystane site.’

Mr Moorhouse also queried why the road was closed early on the morning of Monday, March 9, despite work not appearing to begin until later, contributing to what he described as ‘absolute chaos’ on the route.

In response, Mr Wannenburgh confirmed the closure was implemented at 6.30am, with work beginning from 8am.

He said: ‘The works were planned months in advance of the actual road closure, the application for the road closure [was] submitted… some six weeks prior.’

He added that planned bus strikes at the time could not have been foreseen and warned that making last-minute changes would have increased costs and potentially caused greater disruption.

Mr Wannenburgh also stressed the scale of the infrastructure involved, noting the cover sits above a large underground chamber serving a major pipeline linking Douglas and the west of the island.

He said the closure was unavoidable to ensure the safety of both workers and road users, adding that works are progressing on schedule and efforts are being made to reopen the road as soon as possible.