Specialist technical consultants have been appointed to determine the best way to repair a significant landslip that has closed part of the A592 at High Kingate.
Westmorland and Furness Council has used emergency procurement processes to move quickly to engage the expert consultants, so work can start as quickly as possible on the complex project to reopen the route.
The next stage will be to carry out surveys and ground investigations to determine the best way to reach the site of the landslip and assess ground conditions, so the works can be safely carried out on the narrow, restricted site, which has steep banking above and below.
An emergency road closure was put in place on the A592 approximately halfway between Troutbeck and the Kirkstone Inn at High Kingate, just before the start of the Kirkstone Pass, following the landslip, which was caused by heavy rainfall.
The landslip has partly undermined the carriageway and the council’s early assessments suggest the constraints of the site and the winter weather conditions mean carrying out the repairs will be challenging and will take several months to complete.
Now the specialist consultants have been engaged it is hoped a more detailed timetable can be confirmed once they have completed their own investigations and made recommendations on the potential repair methods.
Following the landslip on 5 November, the council’s highways team put in place an emergency 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 already been taken to try to stabilise the ground and divert water away from the landslip site to prevent further collapse.
Signs advising of the closure and the designated diversion routes have been put in place along all main routes leading up to the A592. The towns and villages either side of the closure are still fully accessible via the diversions and nowhere is cut off.
In addition to the regular signs, six electronic ‘matrix’ signs have been brought into the area to support messaging about the closure and that local businesses are still accessible. This includes matrix signs at the top and bottom of The Struggle – a steep and narrow local road that runs from Ambleside to the top of Kirkstone Pass.
For the official diversion routes around the landslip closure the council can only sign along main routes, that can be accessed by the majority of vehicles. For that reason The Struggle does not form part of the official diversion route as it has a 6’ 6” width restriction and, as the name suggests, it is very steep and at several points is very narrow and therefore not suitable for larger vehicles, especially in poor weather/winter conditions.
A Westmorland and Furness Council spokesperson said: "The council recognises that many locals will continue to use this route during the emergency closure and gritting teams will be treating The Struggle during the winter months during daylight hours only, to maintain this link between communities either side of the landslip. However, the council is not promoting The Struggle as an alternative route and drivers are reminded that this road will be challenging and potentially impassable in the winter months.
"The additional matrix signs at the top and bottom of The Struggle will carry messages about width restrictions and the unsuitability of the route for larger vehicles. The signs will also advise when gritters are treating the route, asking drivers to wait until the gritting wagon has completed its run to avoid the risk of blocking the road. For the same reason, drivers are also requested to not use designated passing places on The Struggle for parking or for overnight stays.''
Utility companies have a legal right to undertake works on the council’s road network, but the council manages and co-ordinates works through a permit system to try to minimise disruption. The council doesn’t have the power to ‘ban’ all works on the road network in the area around the A592 closure and urgent works – for example to repair a water or gas leak – may still need to be carried out by utility companies.
The council has contacted utility companies to advise them of the landslip issue and to ask them to consider postponing or rescheduling routine or pre-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.
Wherever possible, the council will look to ensure any urgent or essential works that have to be carried out at this time will be done under traffic light controls rather than full closures to minimise further disruption.
Local parish councils and businesses are being updated on the landslip works and the council is 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 still accessible and very much still ‘open for business’.
• An FAQs document answering more questions about the landslip, diversion routes and next steps is being regularly updated