Levelling Up fund civils and highways works, Cumbria

Resurfacing works reached a total of 200,000m2 – this is equal to 55km of a single-lane road or 28km of a two-lane road!

The project scope

The Levelling Up Fund (LUF) programme includes extensive improvement works on several of the main commuter roads in Cumbria, including:

• The A5086 between Cockermouth and Egremont.
• The A595 south of Sellafield.
• The A590 through Barrow-in-Furness.

Our scope of work on the A595 improvement works was to undertake all resurfacing and repair works on this busy route through the heart of Cumbria, from Millom to Cockermouth, including:

• Coordination with client Traffic Management partners provided by Cumberland Council.
• Planing out of existing road surface.
• Replacement or readjustment of 1000+ items of Ironwork.
• Removal and replacement of 5,000-10,000m kerbing.
• Resurfacing with new asphalt.
• White lining.
• Road stud replacement.
• Road signage replacement.

Key quantities:

• Asphalt: 50,000 t
• Drains & Ducts: 1,000 +
• Footway: 4,427 m²

Challenges & successes

It was imperative that we liaised with the public and local residents regarding road closures to prevent any unnecessary impact on the busy A595 route through Cumbria, which is the main commuter route to the Sellafield nuclear site which employs over 15,000 people.

Constant communication with our client Cumberland Council ensured they were kept up-to-date with the latest progress and issues. This also provided them with an opportunity to discuss any further requirements.

Efficient traffic management was established to mitigate delays for road users, especially when works occurred during peak commute times.

During the early stages of the scheme some of the roads were located in more remote locations in South Cumbria, this meant that we had to work closely with our extensive supply chain of asphalt and building material suppliers to minimise transport distances and select the most efficient routes – minimising road disruption and project carbon footprint.