A new bridge at Grizebeck is set to open next month, marking a major milestone in Westmorland and Furness Council’s A595 improvement scheme.
Funded by the Department for Transport, the £23.3 million scheme is creating a 0.8 mile single carriageway between Chapels and Grizebeck Village on the A595, to improve road safety and journey times on one of Cumbria’s key arterial routes.
A key feature is a new bridge that will offer residents and agricultural vehicles a permanent crossing over the A595, ensuring safe and reliable access to Grizebeck village and the surrounding farmland.
With the bridge deck now lifted into place, Story Contracting are putting the finishing touches on the structure ready for its anticipated opening in November 2025.
To safely join the new bridge onto the existing A595 and complete the works, a full closure of the route between the Grizebeck Community Hall and Dove Ford is planned on Saturday and Sunday, 25 and 26 October, and Saturday and Sunday, 1 and 2 November 2025. Both closures will run from 7:00 am on Saturday until 5:00 pm on Sunday.
Once in use, the bridge will immediately benefit road users by separating construction traffic away from the public highway, reducing the need for crossing points and traffic lights that would lead to delays.
Watch video showing 'before' and 'after' views of the scheme's progress after the first year
Councillor Peter Thornton, Cabinet Member for Highways and ICT, said: “The lifting of the bridge deck represents a major milestone in our A595 improvement scheme. This new structure will not only maintain vital connections for local people, but once it opens it will also take most of the construction traffic off the existing A595.
“By using locally quarried Burlington stone, the bridge will reflect the area’s natural character and heritage, becoming a feature that complements the landscape while significantly improving access for residents into Grizebeck village and the surrounding farmland.
"It is encouraging to see the progress being made and I would like to thank Story Contracting for their careful planning which has helped keep disruption to a minimum.”
Significant progress continues on the project, with 72,000 tonnes of material excavated at Penn Hill and estimated 52,000 tonnes of it reused across the scheme to form the foundation for the new A595 route.
To carry out essential in-river work, a local beck was temporarily diverted and a licensed fish rescue carried out to safely relocate wildlife. A new 20-tonne culvert is now installed at Grizebeck and another added behind the community centre. The recent heavy rain has already tested the new drainage systems, which performed as designed to manage surface water safely.
A poisonous plant, hemlock water dropwort, was also identified in two locations and has been safely removed. In addition, night-time bat surveys have taken place at Dove Bank Cottages to check for roosting bats before even more works take place.
Andy Clode, Construction Director at Story Contracting, said: “Seeing the bridge deck in place has been brilliant for the project team and for the local community, as it feels like the opening is now not far away. I would just like to thank the council and project team as well as our fantastic supply chain who have all worked together to achieve this significant milestone”.
As part of the project’s commitment to creating social value and enhancing the local environment, the Council and Story Contracting are inviting residents to propose projects that could benefit from up to 100 hours of volunteer support and access to machinery.
Local initiatives are already seeing the benefits, including the Community Hall at Grizebeck which has received upgraded lighting, drainage and pavements, improving access to what was previously a dark and difficult to reach area.
The Grizebeck project has been supported by a £10.5 million funding contribution from Team Barrow; a partnership between the Government, Westmorland and Furness Council, and BAE Systems.
Improvements on the A595 will support Team Barrow’s wider objectives, which focus on transforming transport infrastructure alongside key areas such as education, skills, and housing, in order to sustain future employment growth at BAE Systems and strengthen Barrow’s role as the home of the UK’s submarine-building capability.
Creating timely, safe, reliable, and resilient movement of goods and people into, around, and out of Barrow is a central element of these development plans, and the new route between Grizebeck and Chapels will play an important role in delivering this vision.
Residents and businesses are invited to the Community Hall on Wednesday, 3 December, to meet the project team, learn more about upcoming plans for the scheme and ask questions. The timings for this event will be confirmed in the coming weeks.