Skip to main content

UK tourist A591 road in Cumbria gets repaired after storm damage

The UK’s A591 road in Cumbria was badly damaged in last December’s storms but recent work on a retaining wall is making life easier for construction crews. The vital Lake District tourist route, which stretches between Grasmere and Keswick, has been closed between St Johns in the Vale and Dunmail Raise following storms Desmond and Eva. A new 106m retaining wall - the length of a football pitch - is being built in the beck alongside the part of the A591 which collapsed during the bad weather. Contractors
June 17, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The UK’s A591 road in Cumbria was badly damaged in last December’s storms but recent work on a retaining wall is making life easier for construction crews. The vital Lake District tourist route, which stretches between Grasmere and Keswick, has been closed between St Johns in the Vale and Dunmail Raise following storms Desmond and Eva. A new 106m retaining wall - the length of a football pitch - is being built in the beck alongside the part of the A591 which collapsed during the bad weather.

Contractors installed steel supporting posts and concrete panels along 35m of the new wall. Stone masons covered the concrete with local stones reclaimed from the flood in an effort to blend the new walls with the surroundings. Concrete was poured behind the concrete panels up to a thickness of 3.5m before a new road surface was laid on top.

At Thirlmere Reservoir, camera surveys of the drains underneath the southern section of the road allowed full repairs to be done. David Pluse, 8100 Highways England’s project manager for the scheme, said photographs from the construction site allowed significant progress on work that was required.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bridge improvements reduce flood threat
    February 16, 2012
    The impact of the new Eden Bridge over the River Eden on its flood plain is a key issue to the construction of the Carlisle Northern Development Route (CNDR).
  • Bridge improvements reduce flood threat
    April 4, 2012
    The impact of the new Eden Bridge over the River Eden on its flood plain is a key issue to the construction of the Carlisle Northern Development Route (CNDR).
  • Variable message signs emerging from the shadows
    July 8, 2016
    Variable message signs are increasingly seen on the world’s motorways. World Highways looks at some of the latest developments UK manufacturer of temporary, solar powered variable message signs, Bartco UK, has unveiled what it says is the first temporary VMS designed for use within work zones. Bartco said that its HD Quattro was developed in response to feedback from customers requiring a product to affirm on-site speed limits for work zone vehicles. The unit is designed to show limited amounts of inform
  • Mabey Hire supports the Whorlton Bridge
    June 10, 2025

    Whorlton Bridge in England’s County Durham has had to be closed to traffic while a major programme of works is carried out. Every component is to be removed, refurbished and replaced.

    To facilitate the works, a bespoke catenary system has been installed, with Mabey Hire’s adaptable and modular propping equipment used to construct the temporary structure.