£3.4m pothole prevention work begins across Westmorland and Furness
A £3.4 million road maintenance programme is under way across Westmorland and Furness.
The scheme will improve around 67 miles of road at 60 locations. Work is due to continue until the end of August, although dates may change because the treatment must be applied in dry weather.
More than 650,000 square metres of road will be treated as part of the programme, which is funded by the Department for Transport.
How will the work prevent potholes?
The council is using a treatment known as surface dressing.
Hot bitumen is sprayed onto the existing road before a layer of small stone chippings is added. These are then rolled into place to create a hard-wearing surface.
The treatment seals the road and stops water from getting into small cracks. This helps protect it during wet and freezing winter weather.
According to the council, surface dressing can delay potholes and other damage for up to ten years. It also improves grip and costs less than fully resurfacing a road.
The roads included in the programme have already been inspected, repaired and permanently patched before the new surface is applied.
Which roads will be treated?
Eden
The routes included in the Eden area are:
- C3088 St John’s Road, Stainton
- C3043 Scarside to Knipe Junction
- C3053 south-west of Towcett Crossroads to the A6
- B6261 from M6 Junction 39 to Shap Toll Bar
- U3262 Andrew Scar, Great Asby
- B6259 from the A685 junction to Beckfoot Junction
- C3059 Bolton to Colby
- C3004 Hanginshaw to Clickham, Appleby
- C3087 Tan Hill, Gate House to Long Band
- B5305 Skelton, BBC Junction to Holly Hill
- C2045 from the B5305 junction to Millhouse Bridge
- B5305 Newlands Mill Junction to the area boundary
- C2049 from the B5305 junction to Newlands Mill
- C2049 Newlands Mill to Hesket Bridge area boundary
- A686 Melmerby Moor
- B6277 Shieldhill Plantation to the Old Police Station, Alston
- A6 Penrith North, from the 30mph signs to Stoneybeck Roundabout
- B5350 Catterlen Roundabout to Hutton-in-the-Forest
- C3047 Cliburn North West, from the 30mph signs to Cliburn Mill Bridge
Furness
Roads due to be treated in the Furness area include:
- C6003 Long Lane, Dalton-in-Furness
- C6012 Duke Street, from Schneider Square Roundabout to The Strand
- U6011 Duke Street, Askam-in-Furness
- U6030 Chapel Street, Dalton-in-Furness
- U6085 Lumley Street, from Rawlinson Street to the side of 37 Marsh Street
- U6103 Hawthwaite Lane, Barrow-in-Furness
- U6115 Oak Lea Road, Barrow-in-Furness
- U6116 Parkhouse Road, from Manor Road to Newton Road
- U6128 Bank Lane, Barrow-in-Furness
- U6215 Farm Street, Barrow-in-Furness
- U6216 Ramsden Dock Road, Barrow-in-Furness
South Lakeland
The South Lakeland routes are:
- B5277 Meathop Road to the C5046 at The Gill
- B5277 Allithwaite Road
- C5041 Cark to Cartmel
- C5042 and U5693 Haggs Lane to Cartmel Road
- C5041 Longlands Farm to Field Broughton
- C5046 Back o’ the Fell Road
- B5271 and C5046 The Gill to Lindale Brow
- C5076 Heaves Lodge to Whitegate
- C5059 Levens Lane
- B5286 Outgate to Clappersgate
- A591 Dunmail Raise
- A592 Longtail Hill to the B5360
- B5360 from the A592 junction to the A5074 junction
- B5285 Lake Bank Coach House to Windermere Ferry
- A6070 Crooklands Roundabout to Dukes Bridge
- B5282 The Strands to Arnside
- A684 Green Bank Barn to Beehive Lane
- A684 Windy Hill Farm to Park Road
- C5105 Busk Lane, Sedbergh
- A592 Newby Bridge Roundabout to Fell Foot
- A5284 Windermere Road
The full list has been published by Westmorland and Furness Council.
Will roads be closed?
Individual roads will normally close while the treatment is applied. Most sections should reopen within a few hours once the crew has finished.
Drivers may then use the new surface at a lower speed. Passing vehicles help press the stone chippings firmly into place.
The road will be swept within 24 to 48 hours and again after seven days. Road markings and studs will be replaced after the final sweep.
Residents living near each section should receive advance warning. Signs will normally be put up around two weeks before work begins, while nearby homes will also receive a letter or leaflet.
Because surface dressing requires dry conditions, motorists are advised to check signs for the latest dates.
Part of wider £32m highways investment
The work forms part of the council’s £32 million highways investment plan for 2026 and 2027.
That wider programme also covers pothole repairs, full resurfacing, pavements, drains, cycleways, bridges and retaining walls.
The council said more than 200 miles of road have received surface dressing across Westmorland and Furness since 2023. Around 2,500 tonnes of spare stone collected during last year’s work will be reused during the latest programme.
