A multi-million-pound road safety project on an iconic Lakeland pass will take a break to avoid disruption during the school summer holidays.
All roadworks on Kirkstone Pass were removed at the weekend and no work will be carried out under the scheme until September 6, meaning the road will be fully open during the busy holiday period.
The ongoing Department for Transport Safer Roads Project, managed by Westmorland and Furness Council, includes building new drainage and culverts, resurfacing and installing new safety crash barriers and catchpits to collect scree washed off the fells.
More than 200 metres of new stone walling has so far been created, along with improved signs and three new lay-bys.
The work will help to protect the road from the effects of flooding and adverse weather and increase the safety and resilience of the route, especially during winter, resulting in fewer enforced closures in the future.
When the work restarts in September the road will still remain open to vehicles, with temporary traffic lights in place until the next scheduled full 24-hour a day closure, which will now be for a maximum of three weeks starting on October 2, the council said.
The road will reopen again ahead of the school half-term holidays at the end of October.
The 24-hour closure starting on October 2 was moved from the original September dates to October following feedback from residents and businesses in the local community. They requested the switch because September can still be busy with visitors.
The full closure is required in October so contractors can excavate the entire width of the carriageway to support its full reconstruction.
Following the October full closure an additional road closure is scheduled to take place from March 1 2024, in order to complete the resurfacing work. This closure will be over three weeks, subject to weather conditions.
