MORE than £700,000 is to be spent on safety improvements to the A590 at Lindale Hill, near Grange-over-Sands, and at Brettargh Holt, Levens.

The Highways Agency says both schemes - a £300,000 project to install verge-side barriers between Low Newton junction and Meathop roundabout and £384,000 'wear and tear' improvements to the A590 westbound at Brettargh Holt - will start on Monday, November 9 and be completed before Christmas.

Project manager Peter Gee said the work would involve limited overnight closures of the A590 at both locations.

Of the Lindale Hill scheme, he said: “This is vital work to ensure drivers and other road users can continue to enjoy safe journeys along this section of the A590 with the verge-side safety barriers on both the westbound and eastbound carriageways being replaced by new barriers.

“We will need to close the carriageways overnight for three nights as we install and remove the traffic management cones and barriers for the work but otherwise the road will remain open at all times. We’ll have clearly-signed diversions in place when carriageways are closed overnight, suitable for all types of vehicles.”

The work will be delivered in two phases with barriers first being installed alongside the eastbound carriageway followed by work along the westbound carriageway.

Installation of traffic management in the eastbound carriageway will take place using a full overnight closure of the carriageway between 8pm on Monday and 6am on Tuesday.

On Saturday, December 5, both the eastbound and westbound carriageways will be closed overnight as the traffic management is moved over to the westbound carriageway. A final overnight closure – to remove traffic management from the westbound carriageway and complete the scheme – will take place overnight on Saturday, December 19.

When carriageways are closed, a signed diversion will be in place between Newby Bridge and Meathop roundabouts using the A592 and A591 via Windermere.

When work is taking place on a carriageway, one of the two lanes will be closed with a 50mph speed limit past the roadworks in the open lane.

Local road users are also being advised that central reservation gaps will be closed for the duration of the work, with westbound access into and out of the B5271 Cartmel Road closed.

The work taking place between Brettargh Holt roundabout and the junction with the A6, is expected to take six weeks and includes carriageway and footpath resurfacing, drainage repairs and barrier and sign improvements.

The first phase of the work will be done using single lane closures on the westbound dual carriageway with a temporary speed limit of 40mph past the roadworks. The overnight closures are due to take place – between 8pm and 6am each night - for up to eight nights from Monday 7 December. More information and diversion advice will be issued nearer the time.