Bermuda has been on the road to disaster.

Giant cracks on a stretch of Pembroke's Palmetto Road -- under which are several key power lines -- opened up over the weekend.

And now an emergency $250,000 operation has swung into action to prevent the road sliding into nearby Pembroke Marsh.

It was feared a landslide would sever an Esso oil pipeline to Belco, plunging the Island into darkness.

Part of the road -- between Dutton Avenue and the pulverisation plant -- will now be closed for up to ten weeks. Traffic diversions have been set up.

The repair job will mainly involve building a new and stronger embankment alongside the road, and improving the drainage.

The contract for the project was awarded to Island Construction Services after being put out to open tender. It is being overseen by the Works and Engineering Ministry.

Yesterday, Works Minister Leonard Gibbons explained the challenges facing the crews.

He said three major lines ran beneath the road -- the Esso oil pipe to Belco, a sewage feed from the Tynes Bay Waste Management plant and a Telco line.

The road is a former railway line, with a steep embankment running alongside it leading into Pembroke Marsh.

Mr. Gibbons said the alarm was sounded over the weekend when experts detected the road was moving, causing cracks to appear.

The cracks were sealed with asphalt, but opened up again.

Said Mr. Gibbons: "We checked on Saturday and made a determination to shut the road off. The road was basically subsiding into the marsh.'' He added work crews were building a retaining dam and using boulders to hold the road back.

Mr. Gibbons stressed efforts were being made with the Parks Department to ensure the area looked tidy after the project.

"There will be some landscaping.'' Mr. Gibbons appealed for public understanding while the scheme was completed.

"The Police have been on hand during peak periods.'' Works Ministry's Assistant Chief Engineer David Woodward said subsidence was first noticed in June and kept under watch.

Over the weekend the road moved four inches in 24 hours -- prompting the decision to close it.

"We are basically now trying to secure the oil pipeline. If it were to sever it could lead to a major power generation problem.'' Mr. Woodward said recent rainfall may have accelerated the subsidence.

"We will be looking at the drainage under the embankment. We will also be taking measures to protect the utility lines.''