As part of the additional £12m funding received from the Department for Transport in November 2018, Cumbria County Council has invested £400,000 into resurfacing a section of the A591 between Brettargh Holt and Prizet – one of approx. 100 projects the additional funding has been used for to keep Cumbria moving.
The additional funding was welcomed after years of raising awareness about the challenges facing Cumbria’s roads, and was provided with the condition that the money must be spent before the end of March 2019. The council’s highways department worked intensively to develop a list of proposed projects for the money to be spent on and successfully completed approx. 100 individual schemes using this money between November 2018 and April 2019.
The A591 resurfacing project, originally programmed for later in 2019, was brought forward to work alongside culvert replacement works, therefore minimising the disruption to the travelling public.
This was a three week project which involved the removal and replacement of 5,000 tonnes of existing road construction, with 500 wagon movements required to complete the task. A total of 50 highways surface water gully grates and frames were also replaced to help improve flood management.
Cllr Keith Little, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:
“I am delighted that so much work has been done using this additional funding. We were pleased that the government recognised the challenges facing our transport network, and our teams have worked hard to ensure that the funding has been invested in to important projects all over the county.
“The A591 is a vital artery connecting communities and the £400,000 investment will facilitate improved road safety, enhanced connectivity and help stimulate economic growth.”
