17/12/2008 - Bypass opening welcomed

The opening of a new bypass between Workington and Whitehaven has been welcomed by Cumbria County Council.

The £40million Highways Agency A595 Parton to Lillyhall bypass, which opened today (December 17), will take traffic away from the villages of Distington, Common End and Howgate and make journeys safer and more reliable

Highways Agency contractors Morrison Construction began work on the three-mile stretch of road in February 2007.

With 17,000 vehicles, many of them heavy lorries, using the route each day, the bypass will also improve traffic flow.

Councillor Alan Clark, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “The opening of this bypass is good news for the people of west Cumbria and will make travelling on the A595 safer for both drivers and people living in villages along the route.

“The old stretch of road was often a bottleneck, particularly with all the Sellafield traffic going along it, so this is going to be a big improvement to the infrastructure of west Cumbria.”

Councillor Cam Ross, county council member for Distington and Moresby, added: “I’d like to thank everybody in the local area for their patience while the building work on the bypass has been going on.

“I’m very pleased that we’ve now got to this stage though and this is a real step in modernising transport connections in west Cumbria.”

ENDS

Media enquiries to media officer John Ballard on 01228 226330.