Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that closures of the M6 in Cumbria are having on traffic congestion in Kendal; and what plans they have to amend their scheme for the construction of bridges on the motorway to avoid diverting traffic through the town.
National Highway’s (NH) will always need to prioritise the safety of both road users and its work force. At times for the M6 Lune Gorge scheme, this will mean full motorway closures are needed between Junction 37 and 38 to allow high risk construction activities to take place. Due to the layout of this section of the network, the only suitable diversion route is via the M6 J36, A590, A591, through Kendal, A6 exiting at M6 J39. Diversion routes are planned in advance with local councils.
NH has reviewed traffic flow data on the M6 and will use over-night closures, when traffic is much less, in order to minimise the impact to both drivers and local communities.
For certain activities, such as bridge demolition, there will also need to be weekend closures. NH recognises the potential disruption these may cause and will look to minimise the use of them.
When a diversion route does need to be used, this will be communicated well in advance in order to reduce the impact on communities such as Kendal.
NH is planning to deploy innovative construction methods, such as particular types of cranes and rolling roadblocks, to reduce the number of full closures needed, and the diversion of traffic through Kendal.