Work on the A59 at Brockholes Brow to stabilise an embankment after a small landslide occurred in March 2021.
AdvertisementOne lane has been closed since the landslide, but the road was shut in late July and is closed for seven weeks.
Over the past 6 months, monitoring has found that the embankment continues to move at a rate of around 10cm a month, with intervention being urgently needed to stabilise it and restore the full width of the road and pavement.
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Work began on Monday 25 July to stop the embankment from moving and mitigate the risk of a bigger landslip occurring if left in its current state.
It is expected to take up to seven weeks, with the A59 at Brockholes Brow needing to be fully closed in both directions for all vehicles for safety and to allow access for the heavy machinery needed.
The scheme has been scheduled during the school holidays when traffic levels are lower to minimise disruption as much as possible, and work will take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to minimise the duration of the closure.
Preston City Council owns the embankment where the landslip occurred and has engaged Lancashire County Council as the highways authority for the area to design a solution and carry out the work.
The footpath will temporarily need to close when necessary during the works, for health and safety reasons.
What the project involves:
– Installing large sheet metal piles as a retaining structure along a 40-metre length of the embankment
– Building a 1.2m high retaining wall along the same length.
– Installing drainage to help protect the embankment from wet weather in the future.
– Removing excess material from the bottom of the slope to restore the full width of the road and pavement.
– Landscaping work and planting species native to the existing woodland.
– Removing the current lane closure and restoring the 40mph speed limit.
– While the road is closed the County Council is also planning a range of other routine highway maintenance in the vicinity to avoid the need for further lane closures in future and minimise the overall level of disruption.
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There are alternative routes suitable for all vehicles:
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