[C]umbria County Council has completed a major road reconstruction scheme on a key road in Whitehaven.
The county council has invested £900,000 in the works on Homewood Road in Whitehaven, between the A595 and Richmond Hill Road.
The scheme has involved reconstructing approximately 1km of worn-out highway with a brand new road surface, improving the journey experience for all road users.
The works represented a significant highway engineering challenge because they involved excavation of the old concrete surface and building a brand new black top road, which is of a much higher quality and far more durable.
Work on the scheme started in July and was completed on schedule at the end of last week, despite adverse weather conditions during the works programme.
The council and its contractor worked closely with the emergency services and bus operators to maintain access to the West Cumberland Hospital and the busy Sneckyeat Road industrial estate during the reconstruction works. The council also worked hard to minimise disruption to the travelling public, with traffic successfully diverted around the town.
Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “The county council has invested £900,000 in this road reconstruction scheme, which has resulted in a much improved road surface on a very sensitive, busy route. We appreciate work on these major improvements has caused some disruption for road users, especially for people travelling to West Cumberland Hospital, and we would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this period.”
With the successful completion of the Homewood Road reconstruction project, Cumbria County Council is looking at future options for the reconstruction of the nearby Overend Road. There is currently no allocation of funds within the 2017/18 budget for this, but the authority will assess the Overend Road reconstruction project against other highway schemes in Copeland.
