A metal barrier has been installed on North Shore Road at the roundabout with Barker’s Hill, Devonshire, to provide greater protection, the Ministry of Public Works and Environment confirmed yesterday.

Safety improvements were made after the location was “identified for enhanced protection because of the combination of the roundabout geometry, the proximity of the carriageway to the shoreline and the significant change in elevation beyond the road edge”.

Near by along the carriageway, however, older wooden fencing remained broken.

A ministry spokeswoman said: “The aluminium barrier provides a more robust roadside safety treatment that is better suited to the conditions at this particular location.”

She added: “Elsewhere along North Shore Road, wooden barriers continue to serve their intended purpose.

“A section immediately east of the newly installed barrier requires further embankment stabilisation following washout caused by recent heavy rainfall.

“The Department of Works and Engineering is assessing the area and determining the appropriate remedial works.

“The ministry is also reviewing existing roadside barriers along this stretch, including sections where fencing is missing.”

Any necessary repairs, replacement or other safety enhancements will be considered as part of future maintenance and capital works programmes, the ministry further noted.

Other locations across the road network are also being assessed to determine whether alternative barrier types, including aluminium barriers, may be appropriate.