New diversions in place as work continues to repair damaged road following landslip

Thursday, 13 February 2025 13:26

By Central Radio News

New diversion routes have been agreed and put in place in East Lancashire following the partial collapse of a road in Oswaldtwistle.

A landslip occurred along the B6236 Haslingden Old Road following heavy rain at the start of the New Year, which saw a number of flooding incidents across the county. The landslip caused a wall supporting the road and one lane of the carriageway to collapse.

The road has been closed ever since, with temporary diversion routes in place, as it is not safe for vehicles to continue using the remaining carriageway, even under traffic control.

Following consultation with National Highways and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, a new diversion route for cars and LGV's and separate route HGV's have now been established.

A pedestrian and cyclist route is also in place and will be kept under review.

Repairing the highway presents a significant challenge, and it's anticipated that the road will be closed throughout 2025.

Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said:

"We are in the very early stages of what is a complex project so at this stage we cannot predict with any degree of accuracy an estimate completion date for the repair.

"What we do know is that it is simply not safe for vehicles to continue using the remaining carriageway and this is likely to stay this way for some time.

"We are currently undertaking site investigation and survey work to identify a design solution.

"We are in the very early stages of this work, which will allow us to understand the root cause of the failure and in turn develop a suitable repair strategy.

"New diversion routes are now in place so I would urge anyone travelling this area to follow the diversion signs and ask that people to bear with us while address this complex issue."