A road in the south of the Isle of Man is expected to remain closed for another seven months while a £500,000 project to replace main water pipes is carried out.

Manx Utilities will replace 4km of water mains from Ballaglonney Farm in Grenaby to Ballaquinney Farm.

The authority explained that the work was a “priority replacement” because the existing infrastructure, which has been in place since 1967, is often overloaded.

While the installation route runs mostly through fields, Ronague Road will be closed for the entire construction period.

A spokeswoman for the state-owned utility said that while residents along the street would have access to their properties at all times, the closure was necessary due to the width and depth of the excavations required.

During the construction work, other roads could also be “occasionally affected,” she said.

The works are part of a larger £3.5 million project The contract involves replacing 20 kilometres of old water pipes in the south of the island. The work has been carried out over the last five years.

The latest project is the “last priority replacement for now” in the region and will “help ensure a stable supply to the south” and lead to “significantly less treated water being lost due to repeated pipe bursts,” the spokeswoman added.

The main, which serves 3,810 customers, will be laid from Ballaglonney Farm along Ronague Road and will enter the field drive above Grenaby Farm.

It will then pass through the agricultural area of ​​Ballatrollag, Ballacricket, Ballagilbert, Ballaquinney and Ballaglonney.

The final connection of the main line will take place at Ballaglonney Farm.