Motorists will face disruption for the next four weeks on one of Douglas’s busiest junctions.

Work to replace the traffic light system at St Ninians began on Monday just after the morning rush hour.

The Department of Infrastructure says the current system has reached the end of its design life.

A spokesman previously said: ‘It is no longer supported by the manufacturer and it has become increasing difficult to source spare parts and to maintain.

‘The project will be undertaken by the department’s traffic light engineers. Work will include installing new signal heads, power feeds, and control equipment.

‘Groundworks including the installation of replacement poles, kerbs and tactile kerbs will be undertaken by the department’s maintenance team.’

During the works the crossroads will be managed using temporary traffic lights with a temporary pedestrian crossing in place between the EVF filling station and St Ninians High School. Nearby permanent crossings on Ballanard Road and Ballaquayle Road will remain available.

All filter lanes will be out of operation but access to the EVF filling station will be maintained at all times.

The spokesman added: ‘Traffic through the junction is expected to be slower than usual especially during peak travel times, so motorists may wish to consider using alternative routes or varying travel times.

‘These works have been deliberately scheduled for the school holidays to minimise disruption.’

In March, Infrastructure Minister Dr Michelle Haywood says Rosemount in Douglas, Malew Street in Castletown and St Ninians in Douglas all need to be replaced as a matter of urgency as they were all a ‘high risk of failure’.