WORKS are scheduled to start in March 2021 on permanent repairs to Holbeck Bridge on the A591 between Windermere and Ambleside.

Cumbria County Council will be carrying out the work which involves removing a defective concrete slab under the road and installing a new reinforced concrete slab.

This scheme follows temporary works in October 2020 to ensure the safety of the travelling public and to avoid further damage to the weakened section of road.

At the same time a wooden footbridge upstream of the road bridge, which is showing signs of significant deterioration, will be removed and replaced with a new bridge.

These works are scheduled to start on Wednesday, March 10 and are expected to be completed by Friday, March 26, subject to favourable weather conditions.

Traffic management measures will be introduced during these works to protect the safety of the public and the council’s contractor. 

The works have been timed before the Easter holidays to minimise disruption to road users, the local community and visitors to the area, subject to Covid-19 restrictions.

Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “The county council is carrying out these essential highway repairs to strengthen the road and restore full load-carrying capacity.

"The new concrete slab would normally be constructed on site, but in order to keep disruption to a minimum our contractor will cast the slab off site in a controlled environment and lift it into place overnight.

"This project will improve resilience on an important strategic route, and I’d like to thank people for their patience and understanding while the works are carried out."