No money to improve accident blackspot road

There are no further funds available to improve road safety at an accident blackspot in south Cumbria, councillors have been told.

National Highways say it would cost about £20m to carry out works at Gilpin Bridge on the A590 near Levens.

Earlier this month, a man in his 20s died in a crash there.

Jonathan Reade, from National Highways, told Westmorland and Furness Council he accepted it was an "area of concern" and a "priority", but the organisation does not currently have funds to allocate to the road.

In recent years there have been numerous accidents at the junction.

In 2021, four people were seriously injured in a crash involving a car and a cement lorry and, in a separate incident, an 80-year-old cyclist was killed.

Councillor Giles Archibald told a meeting of the highways and transport committee he had "never been so frightened" as when he was turning on to the bridge, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Previously, Councillor Janet Battye had urged National Highways to carry out "significant work" to that stretch of road.

She said: “It’s the only way to Barrow but, with the combination of business traffic, holidaymakers and local traffic, if anything happens on that road, everything stops.”

Mr Reade told the committee that, in the financial year 2021/22, National Highways had spent £10.5m on the A590, which links the M6 near Milton to Barrow-in-Furness.

A further £6.8m had been allocated to the route this financial year for works including alterations to road markings, extra signage and the installation of average speed cameras.

Other work includes resurfacing the eastbound carriageway between the Meathop roundabout and where the dual carriageway ends near Witherslack.

A spokesperson for National Highways previously said: “We routinely review the operation of our major A-roads and motorways to ensure they are operating as safely as possible.

“We are committed to involving local people in that process and... will continue to listen and review the safety of the A590 and look for opportunities to make improvements in the next 2025 to 2030 Road Investment Strategy period.”