Assessments and technical surveys are ongoing to determine the extent of the issues caused by the landslip on the A592 at High Kingate.
An emergency road closure was put in place approximately halfway between Troutbeck and the Kirkstone Inn, just before the start of the Kirkstone Pass, following the landslip last Wednesday night (5 November), caused by the recent heavy rain.
The landslip has partly undermined the carriageway and early assessments suggest the constraints of the site and the winter weather conditions mean carrying out the repairs will be challenging.
Specialist contractors will be engaged for the work, but the narrow, restricted site and steep banking both above and below mean it will be a complex project. One possibility is that it may be necessary to build working ‘platforms’, pinned into the steep banking below, to access the landslip area to make the repairs.
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: “We don’t yet have an more precise timeframe for the repairs and there’s lots of feasibility work still to do, but we know this is a difficult site subject to some extreme wet and icy weather conditions over the winter months, so realistically we are working on the assumption that it won’t be possible to commence main works until ground conditions improve in the Spring at the earliest.
“We will be in a better position to comment on the repair methodology and how long it will take when we have engaged the contractors and they have examined things in more detail, but we also want to be honest about the likely timeframes.
“This will be a difficult repair and it will be months rather than weeks before this stretch of road can safely re-open.’’
Since the landslip last week, the council’s highways team has instigated the road closure and installed barriers to prevent people trying to use the closed section, while continuing to allow farmers and local landowners access to their fields.
Measures have been taken to try to stabilise the ground and divert water away from the landslip site to prevent any further collapse.
Signs advising of the emergency closure and the designated diversion routes have been put in place, briefings have been given to local parish councils and the council has discussed working with Cumbria Tourism to help promote the message that areas around the closure, including Kirkstone Pass itself and villages in the Ullswater Valley, are very much still ‘open for business’.
The council has contacted utilities companies to advise them of the issue and to ask them to consider postponing or rescheduling planned works on the diversion route while the A592 closure is in place to avoid further pressure on these routes. The council itself is also looking to reschedule any planned routine works on these parts of the network.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet member for Highways and Assets, said: “A great deal of work has already been done since the landslip last week, but there will be a great deal more work required to re-open this route.
“The towns and villages either side of the closure are still accessible and nowhere is cut off, but we recognise the A592 has always been a well-used link between Ambleside and the Ullswater Valley.
“We will progress the repair work as quickly as possible, but there really is no easy fix. Some people have suggested we can ‘simply’ re-route the road around the affected section, or ‘simply’ fill in the hole under the road.
“I can assure you that if you look at the topography of this site, realise how steep the banking is both above and below the road, how wet and difficult the terrain is and if you are familiar with how challenging the conditions are up there in the winter, you will know that this is going to require some careful planning, specialist knowledge and a bit of time to safely resolve.
“We will be keeping communities and businesses informed as we move forward.’’
For answers to more questions about the landslip, diversion routes and next steps, see the special Frequently Asked Questions page
- Drone footage shows the extent of the landslip