A59 works: Major road at risk of landslip to close for weeks

One lane had already been closed on the A59 after embankment slipped into the road in March 2021

A major road will be closed for seven weeks to carry out work to stabilise an embankment which risks collapsing following a landslip last year.

Part of the A59 in Preston will be shut for "vital work" to prevent the risk of a bigger landslip at Brockholes Brow, Preston City Council said.

One lane had already been closed on the route, a key link to the M6, after a stretch of embankment slipped into the road in March last year.

The work will begin in July.

The closure will have a major impact on access to and from the east of Preston, as well as access to both north and south carriageways of the M6 motorway at Junction 31.

The council said work was "urgently needed" to stabilise the steep wooded embankment, which is currently slipping by a rate of about 10cm a month, and to restore the full width of the road and pavement.

'Very disruptive'

A large sheet of metal will be added to 40m (131ft) length of the embankment and a 1.2m (4ft) high retaining wall will be built and drainage will be improved.

Adrian Phillips, chief executive at Preston City Council, said: "It's vital that we carry out this work to safeguard the A59 by stabilising the embankment on Brockholes Brow, and unfortunately the only way to do this is to fully close the road due to the scale of the work which is needed."

He said the embankment was "still moving towards the road" and the situation would "keep getting worse" if they did not stabilise it.

Mr Phillips said the council was sorry for commuters who use the route regularly, but added that while the work would "clearly be very disruptive" it would be carried out "around the clock to get the road reopened as soon as we can".

The following diversions will be in place:

• M6 eastbound traffic: Through Blackpool Road and Garstang Road

• Blackburn eastbound traffic: Through New Hall Lane, London Road, Victoria Road, Church Brow and Cuerdale Lane

• Preston westbound traffic: Through Cuerdale Lane, Church Brow, Victoria Road, London Road and New Hall Lane