Subject to approval being granted at next week’s sitting of Tynwald, the ?3 million road safety improvement project at Richmond Hill is scheduled to start next month and be completed by November 2010.
In December 2009, Tynwald approved the Department of Transport's compulsory purchase of privately-owned land, which was needed to enable the scheme to proceed.
Minister David Anderson explained, "The primary purpose of this scheme is to improve road and pedestrian safety on this stretch of highway, which carries in excess of 6,750 vehicles per day in each direction.
"The section of Richmond Hill under consideration for the proposed improvements runs from Middle River Bridge to Rosehill Cottage, a distance of 1,025 metres.
"Richmond Hill is subject to a 50mph speed limit and currently has the highest road traffic accident record on the Island.
"In the period from January 2007 to October 2009, there were 20 recorded accidents, all of which occurred at or in the vicinity of the Home of Rest for Old Horses and Richmond House."
Visibility is poor for Douglas-bound drivers, and is even worse for vehicles exiting the Horses’ Home, and both the alignment and superelevation of the bend are substandard, while the bend also lacks a dedicated right-turn lane.
The premature termination of the southbound “climbing” lane before Richmond House, on the steepest section of the road, also significantly contributes to many of these accidents. Other safety concerns include the lack of footway from Richmond House to beyond Rosehill Cottage, poor drainage of surface water and the lack of lighting.
In addition to the safety concerns, the existing carriageway is showing signs of failure and recent ground radar surveys have shown that Richmond Hill will require major reconstruction work to maintain the integrity of the road structure.
The Minister added,"An 'off-line' improvement scheme for Richmond Hill received planning approval in March 2009.
"This will involve construction of a new realigned and widened carriageway from the Home of Rest for Old Horses to Rosehill Cottage, with the climbing lane extended 300 metres towards the top of the hill. It also includes a new access for the Horses’ Home, 290 metres further down from the existing access; a new footway from Richmond Hill to beyond Rosehill Cottage; and a new surface water drainage system.
"The proposed scheme should significantly improve road and pedestrian safety on the main route between Douglas and the south of the Island."
