End in sight for traffic chaos on Rossendale road

Rossendale Borough Council has received notification from Lancashire County Council (LCC) that the rock fall on Bacup Road, Waterfoot, which has been causing severe delays in the area, will be cleared by September 2. 

Highways have now confirmed that a programme to repair the damaged section has been put in place and the vegetation growing through the remaining mesh will be removed.  

The road will be fully closed for one day on Sunday, August 27, to allow the damaged mesh to be taken away and all the lose material removed from the road.  

The traffic lights and single lane closure will remain in place from Monday August 28 – Friday September 1 to allow for the mesh to be replaced. The road should be fully re-opened no later than Saturday, September 2. 

LCC out of hours Highways team attended the rock fall on Bacup Road on the July 16. The rock face on that section of Bacup Road, known locally as ‘the glen’, is protected by netting along its length. The rock fall caused the netting to become detached, and debris fell onto the road. The lane closest to the rock face was closed and temporary traffic lights were installed.  

The temporary traffic control system has caused severe delays and on one occasion a tail back of almost 200 vehicles was reported. 

A spokesperson for Rossendale Borough Council said: “Safety, obviously, has to come first but as one of the main routes through the Valley it was crucial that the matter be resolved as soon as possible.  

“Since the incident, we have been in touch on numerous occasions with Highways at LCC to stress the urgency of the matter and to make sure that it was sorted as quickly as possible. The adverse impact on businesses and residents just wasn’t acceptable and it was important that we kept pressure on LCC to resolve the issue. 

“We, like the rest of the borough, are pleased that this is finally being resolved especially before the end of the summer holidays. The additional traffic once the schools return, would have caused chaos for everyone.”  

A further scheme to improve the protection to the rock face is planned for 2024/25 programme.