Balthane union work to be completed by 2026, says minister

A junction in the south of the Isle of Man linking a new development with the main road will be completed by 2026, the infrastructure minister has said.

Revised plans were submitted in early 2022 for a four-arm roundabout at Balthane Junction, to connect to the new Ballasalla bypass created for a 282-home Dandara estate.

Tim Crookall said that while the budget had been approved for land purchase and construction, due to the presence of coal tar on the existing roundabout, more funding was now needed.

The additional costs would be used to appoint a consultant who specializes in dealing with hazardous substances, he added.

Crookall told the House of Keys that land deals “for the last parcel” were still ongoing between the department and Malew commissioners.

He said the work would be put out to tender and a construction schedule agreed once funding was agreed, so while the department had a target of April 2026, there was “no firm date”. for completion.

Jason Moorhouse MHK said the presence of coal tar had been mentioned before Christmas last year and asked why funding submissions had not yet been made.

But Crookall said the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) was “close to solving it”.

The work on the roundabout and the “last few meters” of the ring road was being done by the department, and the ring road was Dandara’s responsibility, he added.

In a recent written response, the minister said that while Dandara had substantially completed the work for the first of the two phases of the diversion, the remaining work had no completion date as there was “no commercial value”. for the promoter to complete the section.

In a statement, Dandara said it had “completed the bypass” to the boundary of the site with the roundabout, but had had “no indication” from the DOI when it would finish its work on the junction.