Langwathby Bridge to undergo major refurbishment
Cumbria County Council is investing £480,000 to improve the condition of Langwathby Bridge on the A686 and road surface through the village.
Work is due to start on 25 July and will see the road closed at Langwathby Bridge to the Shepherds Inn for an eight-week period until the 23 September.
During this time, from the Shepherds Inn to the junction of the B6412 Culgaith the road will also be closed for up to two-weeks to facilitate a further phase of resurfacing works, the exact dates for this work are still to be confirmed. Access for local businesses and affected residents will be arranged with the contractor.
The works comprise of a full depth reconstruction of the road foundations from the bridge for approximately 100 metres towards the village, resurfacing from the bridge to the junction of the B6412 Culgaith and works to resolve the long-standing issues with the bridge deck on structure.
The timing of these essential works is to ensure optimum curing time for the bridge materials and to tie in with both the environmental working window for main river works and the school summer holiday period to keep disruption to the school run to a minimum. The Coast-to-Coast route will be unaffected and a safe way through the works for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists will be maintained. A fully signed diversion will also be in place throughout along with ‘open for business’ signage.
Claire Driver, Cumbria County Councillor for Alston and East Fellside said: “The essential works on the bridge which will last around eight-weeks have been programmed to run in parallel with the road works through the village to avoid separate closures of eight and four-week periods at a later date. Whilst there is never a good time to close a road, our contractors have to work around the environmental window for river works and also when the weather is better to help the material to cure.
“I would like to thank residents, businesses and visitors in advance for their patience and co-operation whilst this work is carried out which will greatly improve the road surface condition for many years to come.”
