£32m road repair programme launched across Westmorland and Furness
Westmorland and Furness Council has launched a £32 million highways and transport improvement programme. To repair roads, tackle potholes and deal with winter damage across the area.
The programme began in April 2026, as improving weather allowed highways teams to start larger repair works across the council’s road network.
The council is responsible for maintaining around 2,600 miles of adopted roads across Westmorland and Furness. The work will include pothole repairs, resurfacing, surface dressing, road re-marking, bridge maintenance, drainage work, streetlighting repairs and traffic signal improvements.
The funding has come from the Department for Transport, not from locally collected council tax.
What work will be carried out?
The programme will focus on roads and transport assets that need repair after the winter months.
Cold and wet weather can cause major damage to road surfaces. Water gets into small cracks in the road, then freezes and expands. As vehicles pass over the weakened surface, cracks can grow into potholes.
The council says April is normally the earliest time crews can begin this type of work properly. As repairs are more effective once weather conditions start to improve.
This year’s programme will include:
- more permanent pothole repairs
- full road resurfacing schemes
- surface dressing to extend the life of roads
- re-marking and re-lining worn road markings
- footway and pavement resurfacing
- drainage improvements
- repairs to bridges and structures
- work on public rights of way
- streetlighting maintenance
- traffic signal upgrades
Why the work is needed
Westmorland and Furness has a large and varied road network, covering towns, villages, rural roads, coastal routes and major connecting roads.
The council has described the network as an ageing asset that needs regular investment to keep it safe and usable.
Potholes and worn road surfaces can affect drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and bus users. Poor road markings can also make junctions, bends and crossings harder to read, especially in poor weather or at night.
Drainage work is also important, as standing water can make roads more dangerous and speed up surface damage.
How the £32m is funded
The £32 million programme is made up of government funding allocated to Westmorland and Furness Council.
The Department for Transport has provided a baseline capital grant of £23.4 million. This is based on factors such as the length of the road network, road condition, traffic levels and the number of bridges and structures.
A further £8.6 million has been allocated specifically for road repairs and pothole work.
The council has stressed that this money is separate from council tax and is allocated for highways maintenance and improvements.
Around 25,000 potholes fixed last year
The latest programme follows a year in which council teams repaired around 25,000 potholes.
Alongside pothole repairs, crews also carried out resurfacing work and surface dressing on roads where preventative treatment could help extend the life of the surface.
Surface dressing does not fully rebuild a road, but it can seal the surface, improve grip and slow further damage. This can help prevent roads from reaching the point where more expensive repairs are needed.
Roads will be prioritised
The council says schemes have been chosen based on inspections and assessments carried out throughout the year.
This means the funding will be targeted at roads and transport assets judged to be most in need, rather than spread evenly across every area.
Safety, road condition, usage and long-term need are likely to be key factors in deciding which schemes come first.
The council says this targeted approach is beginning to show results, with condition surveys showing some improvement across the local road network.
Road condition improving in some areas
In the 2025/26 year, nearly 70% of A-roads in Westmorland and Furness were rated in the best “green” condition category. This was up from just under 68% the year before.
The percentage of A-roads in the worst “red” condition category fell from 4.5% to 3.8%.
There was also improvement on minor B and C roads. The proportion rated “green” rose from 49.6% to 52.7%, while the percentage rated “red” fell from 11.3% to 9.9%.
The improvements are modest, but they suggest the council’s repair and maintenance work is beginning to have an effect.
Council says it cannot fix everything at once
Councillor Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet member for highways and ICT, said winter weather had taken its toll on local roads.
He said the council manages a large network, covering 2,600 miles of adopted roads across around 1,500 square miles.
He said the authority does not have the resources to fix every problem at once, but is trying to make the best use of the funding available by focusing on the areas and roads most in need.
The council also expects increased highways grant funding from government from next year, which it says should help tackle a long-standing maintenance backlog.
What residents may notice
Residents are likely to see more highways crews working across Westmorland and Furness during spring and summer 2026.
Some works may lead to temporary road closures, traffic lights, diversions or delays. However, the aim is to complete repairs during the better weather window, when road maintenance can be carried out more effectively.
For drivers and local communities, the programme should mean more pothole repairs, clearer road markings and improvements to key parts of the highways network.
The scale of the programme also shows the size of the challenge facing the council. With thousands of miles of roads to maintain, the work will need to be ongoing rather than a one-off fix.
