Detailed design work has commenced on the Workington Gateway project.
Story Contracting Ltd started site investigation on the A596 Bridge Street, Ramsay Brow and Hall Brow this week.
The work will be carried out during daytime off peak hours and in the evening is expected to last for two weeks. Most work will be carried out within lane closures with limited impact on traffic. When the work requires temporary traffic lights, the traffic lights at the bottom of Ramsay Brow will be switched off while the temporary signals are in place.
These site investigations are in preparation for the £10 million Workington Gateway transformation which begins in earnest this Summer. It will enhance connectivity with employment sites in the north of the town by widening the key A66/A596 junction, as well as the A596 at Hall Brow between the police headquarters and Workington Bridge.
Addressing these longstanding pinch points in the highway network will improve road safety, reduce the impact on communities from HGV traffic and improve freight times to help generate jobs and growth. New pedestrian crossings and cycle and footpaths, known as Active Travel links, will be created, improving access between Workington town centre, the park, Workington Academy and the local network of pathways.
In addition, West House social enterprise is creating a centre in Hall Park’s walled garden to provide training and employability skills to adults with learning disabilities. There will be the provision of horticultural activities within on-site gardening and wildlife areas, and a new café will be built.
The Gateway is part of a host of regeneration projects in Workington which are being managed by Cumberland Council and supported by £33 million of Government funding.
They also include the creation of a Sports Village stadium and a new Innovation Centre business facility, as well as remediation of sites supporting the development of the Port of Workington as a hub for clean energy, manufacturing and logistics. The town’s public realm will be enhanced, and a Digital Accelerator Hub at Lakes College has already opened to provide training on advanced technology like the creation and use of robots, coding, web design, 3D modelling, artificial intelligence and building information modelling.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Councillor Mark Fryer, said:
“This takes us one step closer to the transformation of this major junction and will give a practical, visual and economic boost to business, employment and transportation in the north of Workington.”
For more information visit www.cumberland.gov.uk/workington