National Highways explain why A585 Windy Harbour bypass must close for resurfacing month after opening

National Highways have explained why the new Windy Harbour bypass will close for resurfacing a month after opening.

Closure times

Tuesday, April 23 – Windy Harbour junction to Poulton junction closed westbound, 11pm to 5am

Wednesday, April 24 – Poulton junction to Windy Harbour junction closed eastbound, 12am to 5am

A signposted, but lengthy diversion will be in operation at these times.

A highways spokesperson said: “To safely carry out our work, we need to close the bypass overnight between Windy Harbour and Poulton junctions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We’re reducing disruption by doing the work at night when traffic levels are lower. In addition, we will only close one carriageway at a time.

“Ahead of the work taking place, we’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please follow the signed diversion during either closure.”

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Why does it need resurfacing?

Tom Peckitt, National Highways’ senior project manager for the A585 bypass scheme, explained: “When we opened the bypass we advised that some finishing activities remained and while much of this would be away from the new bypass some of it would require lane or carriageway closures to keep roadworkers and road users safe.

“This overnight work is part of routine quality control or ‘snagging’ common to all of our road projects.

“We’ve timed this work to take place during overnight single carriageway closures when the bypass is at its quietest but we’d like to thank road users and local people for their continued support as we near the project’s end.

“There may be other instances where the lane or road closures are required as we continue to complete finishing works.

“We will ensure this is well communicated, if required, nearer the time via our webpage and social media channels.”

What is ‘snagging’?

A National Highways spokesperson said: “One of the main tests we do is to ensure a consistently smooth surface throughout the by-pass the over three miles in each direction.

“This allows us to assess all areas that might need minor rectifications and undertake those works in targeted approach.

“It is entirely normal on schemes of this size for these tests to pick up minor rectification (snagging) works.”

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The £165 million bypass on the A585 from Windy Harbour to Skippool opened fully in March this year.

The bypass is intended to reduce congestion by removing a major bottleneck on the main road to Fleetwood and heavy traffic that plagues journeys between Windy Harbour and Skippool in peak traffic hours.