A59 Brockholes Brow in Preston to reopen after 5 week works closure

The road has been shut in both directions since July 25 whilst repairs were made to the embankment which was at risk of collapsing into the road.

Linking the city centre to the M6, the A59 is a vital route in and out of the city and its closure has added to Preston’s traffic woes during peak times.

But after 5 weeks of works carried out by Lancashire County Council, it will reopen at 5am tomorrow (Thursday, September 1) – two weeks ahead of schedule.

The road will also return to its former 40mph speed limit following the completion of the works and the reopening of all lanes.

Why was it closed?

Monitoring over the past six months found that the embankment was moving towards the road at a rate of around 10cm a month, with intervention urgently needed to stabilise it and restore the full width of the road and pavement.

One lane had already been closed since March 2021 when a small landslip occurred on a steep wooded embankment next to the road, resulting in part of the slope encroaching onto the carriageway.

Lancashire County Council said there was the risk of a bigger landslip happening if the embankment was left in its previous state.

Without this scheme to stabilise it and retain the banking, the situation would keep getting worse until there would be no option but to close the road for safety anyway, said the Council.

What work has taken place?

- Large sheet metal piles have been installed as a retaining structure along a 40-metre length of the embankment

- A 1.2m high retaining wall has been built along the same length

- New drainage has been installed to help protect the embankment from wet weather in the future

- Excess material has been removed from the bottom of the slope to restore the full width of the road and pavement

- Landscaping work and planting species native to the existing woodland

- The previous lane closure has been removed and the 40mph speed limit restored

The County Council has also worked alongside Preston City Council to carry out a range of other routine highway maintenance at the same time to avoid the need for further lane closures in future.