Snake Pass to be saved by £7.6 million in investment
Nearly a year on from the reports that the A57 ‘Snake Pass’ was at risk of closure, the funding to save it has now been found.
If you were to list the UK’s best roads for riding a motorcycle, a number would spring to mind. The Black Mountain Pass, Cat and Fiddle, and Pen-Y-Pass all spring to mind. Another road, though, is equally as revered, with the A57, better known as Snake Pass, being another go-to destination for bikers on a sunny day.
You may also like to read our guide to Wales' best riding roads.
Loved by many, it may be, but its future has hung in the balance for the last year or so, after landslides and damage to the route caused either full or partial closures. What led to the initial problems was the UK’s consecutive batterings from storms Eunice and Franklin, although the risk of further extreme weather events meant steps would have to be taken. Those ‘steps’ included stabilising the road against further landslips, and that kind of maintenance work doesn’t come cheap.
That was an issue for the local authority, as utilising its existing road budget to shore up just this one route would leave the county’s other roads missing out.
This week, it has been confirmed that funding has now been found, with the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) reporting that around £10 million is being earmarked for the repairs and improvement works. But for us bikers, the news gets even better. A significant chunk of the money will be used to fit dedicated motorcycle safety barriers, a move which could prevent up to 100 serious injuries or fatalities over 20 years. The rest of the cash will be used to improve visibility along the road. Snake Pass isn’t the only route to benefit from the funding, as the A583, Blackpool Road, is also stated to be gaining improvements.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
