Wooden-clad crash barriers are being installed on a major Lake District road.
The barriers are being put in place on Kirkstone Pass as part of the Department for Transport’s multi-million pound Safer Roads Project and are the first of their kind on major road in Cumbria.
Work to install them is part of the latest phase of the scheme, along with drain repairs, which started this week and require a further series of scheduled overnight closures.
The work has been ongoing under traffic light controls since the last full closure in October, but the nature of the works in this latest phase mean the whole road will need to be closed to vehicles Monday to Friday, from 9pm until 7am.
These overnight closures will be in place until works are stood down for the Christmas break on December 20.
The overnight closures will then resume in the new year on Wednesday, January 3, until Friday, January 19, 2024.
The road will be completely closed during the overnight works, which means that for safety reasons all vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists will not be allowed to access the area where contractors will be working and barriers will be in place.
During the daytime manned traffic lights will also be in operation seven days a week.
The scheme is being managed by Westmorland and Furness Council and includes building new drainage and culverts, resurfacing and installing the new wooden-clad safety crash barriers and ‘catchpits’ to collect scree washed off the fells.
Latest work by contractors Metcalfes has included installing 110 metres of carriageway drainage with 15 road crossings, 15 catch pits and gullies and concrete poured for the plinths for the new safety barriers and 20 tonnes of resurfacing tar has been laid.
Previous phases have already delivered more than 200 metres of new stone walling, along with improved signage and three new lay-bys.
The work is aiming to help protect the road from the effects of flooding and adverse weather as well as increase the safety and resilience of the route, especially during winter. It is hoped the work will result in fewer enforced road closures in the future.
The council has aimed to schedule work around the busy school holiday periods to minimise impact on tourism businesses.
A further full road closure is scheduled to take place from 1 March 2024, to complete the resurfacing work.
This closure will continue for four weeks, subject to weather conditions. Further details regarding road diversions will be provided by the council closer to the time of the closure.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet member for highways and assets, said: “The installation of the new wooden-clad barriers is another example of the great care that is being taken in this project to respect the beautiful environment around Kirkstone Pass.
“This is an important project on a very important road and it will ensure the pass will be in better condition and will be better protected from flooding and other weather-related impacts, so will be less prone to winter closures.
“All that is good news for the local communities and businesses that rely on this route and for the many people who visit the area to appreciate that natural beauty.
“We have also been working closely with the local community and businesses in the area to try to minimise disruption caused by this essential safety work and I want to thank them for their continued support and patience.
“This is a complex project being carried out in a restricted location and, as the recent weather event has demonstrated, it is subject to some extreme challenges.’’
