We welcome you to read Westmorland and Furness Council’s 'Brigsteer and Underbarrow Bridge Closures Newsletter' that will be issued once every month.

The newsletter aims to keep our residents and local businesses updated with the latest information on the bridge closures and present the work we are delivering to restore these links for our communities.

The following update shares our continued progress with assessments and the actions taken based on feedback received at the community event that took place on Wednesday 23 October 2024 at Brigsteer Village Hall.

Progress continues on the essential work to assess and ensure the safety of the bridges

Intrusive investigations have provided valuable insights into reinforcement details and the densities of fill material on both bridge decks. The Assessment and Category 3 (Cat 3) checking processes are advancing as planned and will determine if the bridges have any capacity to carry traffic. Approval in Principle (AIP) documents, which establish the technical parameters both consultants will use in their calculations, have now been agreed by WSP and Jacobs for both bridges. Both consultants are now conducting their calculations to finalise this stage of the process.

Further monitoring continues to ensure the safety of the A591

The monthly monitoring we undertake to ensure that the A591 is safe to remain open continued with an inspection on 31 October 2024.

As with previous inspections, the half joints were accessed using a cherry picker, and inspected using a borescope. This concluded that there was no evidence of any deterioration of the half joints since the previous inspection and that the A591 remains safe. The next inspection will be undertaken overnight on Tuesday 10 December 2024.

Images of the recent intrusive investigation of the half joint structure

Traffic management concerns addressed following feedback raised at the community event

At the community drop in event in October, our teams received feedback on several points around the diversion routes and further work has been undertaken to assess the locations raised. 

Support for Brigsteer and Underbarrow businesses: Marketing campaign update

‘Love the Lyth’ Valley Marketing Campaign

In response to requests from businesses in Brigsteer and Underbarrow for support in attracting visitors, our Economic Development Team proposed a marketing campaign titled ‘Love the Lyth Valley.’ This initiative was designed to highlight the unique offerings of businesses in area in the lead-up to Christmas.

Over a five-week period, businesses were invited to share their interest and feedback to ensure the campaign met the needs of the local community. The proposed campaign aimed to promote:

• Local produce tied to nearby farms
• Unique gifts, food, or drinks from local suppliers
• Hospitality experiences, such as lunches, evening meals, or Christmas parties
• Winter accommodation packages

Unfortunately, the response rate to this initiative was very low, leading to the campaign being paused for the time being. However, the team remains committed to supporting local businesses and plans to re-offer a similar campaign in the new year.

We look forward to collaborating further to showcase the wonderful offerings of the Lyth Valley and encourage stronger engagement in the future.

Contacting the team 

We encourage you to continue sharing your queries on the bridge closures directly to our team by submitting an enquiry on the highways online reporting form found at westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk. 

Monthly meetings also continue with impacted Town and Parish Councils who will represent the voice of your community, so please continue to raise issues via them and we will aim to provide answers. 

Background to closing Brigsteer and Underbarrow bridges

The decision to close Brigsteer and Underbarrow bridges on the 12 June 2024 was based on the clear findings of a specialist report conducted by independent experts, Jacobs, as a part of Westmorland and Furness Council's ongoing safety assessments.

The report found structural concerns, requiring the Council to remove all applied load from the bridges including all vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. This was an unavoidable decision to ensure the safety of all road users travelling underneath on the A591.

Nothing in our past maintenance regime is likely to have prevented the need to close these bridges. The structural concerns relate to the design of the bridge, not their maintenance.

More information on our assessment process and frequently asked questions can be found on westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.

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