Work is due to start next week on repairs to re-open an important Lake District road closed by a significant landslip.
Final arrangements are being put in place and specialist contractors plan to be on site starting the repair and reinstatement works on the A592 at High Kingate from next Wednesday, 22 April.
The repair programme is scheduled to take approximately 12 weeks, with the aim to fully re-open the stretch of road - which is halfway between Troutbeck and the Kirkstone Inn, just before the start of the Kirkstone Pass – before the start of the main school holidays in July and peak summer season for tourists.
An emergency road closure was set up following the landslip in November, which partly undermined the carriageway.
Measures were taken immediately to stabilise the ground and divert water away from the landslip site to prevent further collapse and diversion routes and signage was put in place.
Westmorland and Furness Council used emergency procurement processes to bring in expert ground investigation teams, and work started before Christmas to undertake surveys on the carriageway and steep banking below to determine the best way to repair the landslip.
Various options have been considered, including carriageway realignment and building a tiered concrete retaining wall, but the agreed works have been carefully designed to protect the landscape as well as improving the stability of the steep slope, protecting the highway and reducing the risk of future damage and landslips.
The work starting next week will include rebuilding and strengthening the banking using special steel reinforcement bars (known as soil nails) installed into the slope. A flexible steel mesh will then be applied to help stabilise the surface, followed by topsoil, seeding and erosion‑control matting, to encourage vegetation growth which will eventually cover the mesh and soil nails.
A new retaining wall faced with natural slate will replace the existing highway verge and upper embankment and the road surface and drainage will be renewed.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet member for Highways and ICT, said he was delighted that the road should be re-opened for the summer holidays.
Councillor Thornton commented: “Anyone who knows this stretch of road will know the landslip has occurred in a very challenging and restricted location, with steep banking above and below, and it’s not the easiest place to access, especially during the winter months.
“It is also a very well used route, both for local traffic and with tourists accessing Kirkstone Pass and the wonderful attractions in the Ullswater Valley.
“I’m therefore delighted that we have been able to move forward quickly with the surveys, designs and repairs and we are looking towards having the road re-opened for the main summer holiday period.
“This has involved a lot of work, starting with the ground investigations before Christmas and continued surveys through the winter months, engaging specialist contractors and working with landowners and using emergency procurement and decision-making processes.’’
Local parish councils and businesses have been kept updated on the landslip repair process and the council has worked with Cumbria Tourism to help promote the message that areas around the closure, including Kirkstone Pass itself and villages in the Ullswater Valley, have still been accessible and are very much ‘open for business’.