Government reveals four-step plan for Rouge Bouillon repairs

The government says a four-step plan is in place to restore a damaged building on Rouge Bouillon that has forced the closure of part of the busy ring road.

The stretch of road between Clarendon Road and Palmyra Road has been shut to the public since 18 December, when a burst water main caused a sinkhole.

The walls of a building on the corner of Rouge Bouillon and Clarendon Road became unstable, forcing businesses and tenants to evacuate. 

Engineers have been on the site since, investigating how best to repair and stabilise the building.

The government has now revealed this will happen in four parts:

• Step 1 - Manufacture and install steel strapping system to stabilise the building.
• Step 2 - Geotechnical Engineer to then assess soil conditions beneath the foundations.
• Step 3 - The wider team can then proceed with necessary demolition of external structures, including boundary walls affecting neighbouring properties.
• Step 4 - We continue to monitor progress and review timelines for the safe reopening of Rouge Bouillon.

An exact timeframe for the works has not been provided, however the government previously stated it is expected to 'take some time', with the road not expected to open until after the Easter holidays. 

20,000 litres of water flooded the basement of the Rouge Bouillon building

The government said it is facilitating meetings between all those responsible for the affected building and repairing it. These include: Jersey Water, property owners, network management, drainage teams and building control. 

Channel 103 heard earlier this week from a tenant, who was forced out of the damaged building, who said communication about progress was poor.

Penny Downes, owner of beauticians Pennyfeathers, told us:

"I've had zero support from the government, zero support from Jersey Water. I have put questions to Jersey Water and I'm still waiting for an answer, which is extremely frustrating as we're in a situation where no-one will take responsibility.

"Until someone takes responsibility, we can't move forward with going back to the original site - which could be a matter of years. We're not talking short term, this is the long game, we could be out for a couple of years."

A spokesperson from Jersey Water said: 

"We have been actively working with the Infrastructure Department, property owners and insurance companies to resolve the issues posed by the unstable building as quickly as possible."

Diversion route

Diversions in the area remain in place.