Rothbury road repair scheme finished ahead of holiday weekend

The complex scheme to tackle the active landslip at Todstead on the B6344 was completed ahead of the busy Easter bank holiday weekend.

Efforts to safeguard the road have been made over the years as the existing asphalt was found in places over five metres deep due to repairs that have been carried out since the 1970s.

Cllr John Riddle, cabinet member for local services at Northumberland County Council, explained: “We’re delighted to have completed this extremely complex engineering scheme ahead of schedule and the busy Easter weekend – and come in under budget.

“Not only is this great news for visitors, more importantly we’re re-opening a key road for residents and I want to thank everyone for their continued patience over the past year – it has been very much appreciated.”

Using state of the art engineering techniques, the team constructed 180 metres of sheet pile walls using the largest section piles available driven to a depth of 16m to stabilise the slope.

They then installed de-watering wells up to 40 metres down to relieve water pressure, put in drainage at surface level on the slope, re-aligned the southern embankment of the River Coquet to discourage future erosion and reconstructed the road to the west of the site with an improved alignment that will improve the safety of the road.

Gareth Farrier, divisional director at BAM, said: “This is an important outcome for residents and visitors, which includes many members of the project team. Safeguarding this essential route with a long-term solution has been a key focus for every partner and to reach this milestone early demonstrates a determined commitment to improving outcomes for the people of Northumberland in the most efficient way.”

As the project was in the River Coquet Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), environmental concerns were at the forefront of the work and five times as many trees as had to be removed during the road’s re-alignment have been planted.

While the road is now re-open, contractors will have to return to the site in the near future to complete some minor works.