Every year Manx Gas makes a significant investment in the maintenance and replacement of the gas mains that are underground to ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas to all its domestic and commercial customers.

Manx Gas realise that this type of work can cause disruption,  however we take this seriously and endeavour to minimise the impact where this work is carried out on major travel routes and within the vicinity of shops and houses.

A major investment this year is a mains replacement project in Douglas which gets under way on March 6. This project will be in Bucks Road, Douglas and as a result sections of the road will have to be closed off to enable the safe replacement of the existing gas mains. The works overall will last for up to 11 weeks.

This gas main replacement programme has been divided into three phases:

Phase 1 -  Rosemount junction to Demense Road.
Phase 2 -  Demense Road to Mona Street.
Phase 3 - Mona Street to Circular Road.

Phase 1 and 2 of the programme has been formally agreed with the Department of Infrastructure. 

Both sides of Bucks Road - from the Rosemount pub to Circular Road - will be affected by the work.

“Every effort will be made to complete all of this phase of the work ahead of the scheduled date of May 20.  Should this work not be completed by this date, it will be suspended on the May 20 for the period of the TT and resume in July, we will inform everyone of the recommencement date in advance,” said Iain McKenzie, customer and network services manager for Manx Gas.

Parking restrictions will be in place from March 5 and alternative routes for buses have been agreed. Residents and businesses in the area will be notified by hand delivered letters the day before their gas is temporarily disconnected for the replacement work to be carried out.   Gas will be turned off at 8.00am and reinstated between 12 noon and 1.00pm on the same day.

Mr McKenzie, who will be overseeing the project, added: “We will aim to keep disruption down to a minimum.   Alternative routes will be clearly marked and nobody will be denied access to their home or business, nor will shops be affected.   We appreciate  there will be disruption for a considerable length of time but this is one of the biggest projects Manx Gas has undertaken and is an essential part of the Gas Mains Replacement Policy which will benefit consumers and the island as a whole.

“All domestic and commercial services supplied from the mains will be inspected and where required brought up to meet current standards.  I will have overall responsibility for this work and carry out site visits where necessary. Constant contact will be maintained with the DoI at site meetings throughout the project.”

The work is being carried out by Mann Construction on behalf of Manx Gas with two contract teams working on site at any one time.

“We know people will be worried about access but we will have people on site that can help resolve any immediate issues,” emphasised Mr McKenzie.  

A further announcement regarding gas mains replacement from Circular Road to Athol Street at Isle of Man Bank will be announced at a later date.

The Manx Gas number to contact for further information and out of hours is 644425.