Abbey Road (Ramsden Square to Park Drive), Barrow-in-Furness

Our scheme to improve active travel in the town, connecting residential areas to key services.

Status: Under construction
Funding: Active Travel Fund 3 (ATF3)
Policy Framework: Barrow-in-Furness Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

Project description

Our scheme will create a safe and continuous active travel route through the town centre of Barrow-in-Furness. It will connect major employers, shops and facilities to nearby residential areas. We will make improvements along Abbey Road, between Ramsden Square and its junction with Park Drive. 

We've secured funding for the scheme from the government's Active Travel Fund 3. We've also received funding through the #BrilliantBarrow Town Deal, part of the government's Towns Fund. We expect the scheme to take up to twelve months to construct and open in Spring 2026.

Project update November 2025 

Ramsden Square - Phase 1 

Progress to Date 

  • all pedestrian islands widened to accommodate a new parallel cycle crossing
  • traffic islands resurfaced and new tactile paving installed at crossing points
  • three of the four parallel crossings resurfaced with new lining completed
  • Belisha Beacons and bespoke lighting columns installed
  • improvements made to paving areas that were sunken or cracked
  • edging kerb for the bidirectional cycleway installed

Next Steps

  • continue works on the bidirectional cycleway in the grass verge around the square; preparations underway for surfacing
  • complete lining works on cycling lanes to clearly define lanes, crossings, and pedestrian zones for safer navigation
  • works expected to be complete around the square in January 2026 

Bath Street and Dalkeith Street - Phase 2 

Progress to Date

  • existing surface removed for the new cycleway
  • Dalkeith Street signals removed,temporary pedestrian crossing installed and 
    demarcation kerbs installed
  • preparations underway for surfacing the area

What’s Next

  • construct a raised table at Bath Street junction for a continuous walking and cycling route
  • replace existing paving with demarcation kerbs and tarmac for the new cycleway
  • introduce a controlled parallel crossing on Dalkeith Street to improve safety and accessibility

Road Closures

Bath street

The road will be closed on 29 September 2025 until 12th of December. 

Dalkeith Street

The road will be closed on 24 October 2025 until 12th of December. 

Hartington Street 

The road will be closed from the 19 January 2026 for approximately six weeks.

Drawings

You can view the scheme at the preliminary design stage in our Abbey Road route plan (PDF , 8.7MB).

Consultation and engagement 

We held a public consultation between 19 May and 9 June 2023, to gather feedback on preliminary designs for the project. 

We presented two options for consideration, options A and B. Following consultation, Council members endorsed a preliminary design based on option A. This option includes the addition of new one-way cycle lanes, primarily within the existing space for the footways.

You can read full details about options A and B, along with our analysis and summary in our Abbey Road Consultation Report (PDF , 592KB)

This report may not be accessible using assistive technologies. Please contact us if you would like an accessible version.

Contact us

If you have any queries or comments about the project or would like to be added to our mailing list for updates, please contact our project team. Email: abbeyroad@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.