Government Funding Needed to Save Famous UK Road
It is one of the highest roads in the Peak District but unless work is carried out, Snake Pass could close
One of the best riding roads in the entire country is in dire need of reconstruction work or the famous Snake Pass could be at risk of closure.
The road has been hit recently by consecutive bad weather, with Storm Eunice and Strom Franklin hitting the ‘Peaks with heavy rain and high winds. This meteorological battering has led to extensive landslips along the route, and is forcing Derbyshire County Council to temporarily close the stunning piece of asphalt from October 14 to 25.
The problem of landslips in the county isn’t specific to Snake Pass, though, and with the council claiming it has a “unique” with the issue, utilising the local authority road budget to shore up just this one route would leave the county’s other roads missing out. Because of this, the council is looking to the government to supply it with what it calls a "landslip fund", which should help to cover the estimated £4 million required to bolster the parts of the road currently hit by erosion.
To help it gain the needed funds, a business case needs to be drawn up, and to help this the entire 12-mile section of road is being assessed. The issue with this is, that should the report call for more extensive work to be carried out, the bill for doing so would be vast. A spokesperson for the council also noted that a full closure of the road is not off the cards if it cannot be made safe.
"Hundreds of millions would be needed for a full repair and the landslip at Gillott Hey would need tens of millions again," said Julian Gould, the Derbyshire County Council's highways director. "We are doing our best to manage it within the constraints of the budget we have got and are doing our best to retain access. We can't rule out the possibility that it could be closed. If there was a major landslip it would be beyond what we can do." He concluded.
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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!
