Work begins today (Monday 17th October) to reconstruct a road near Pateley Bridge that was damaged by storms.

The section of the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, suffered a landslip when severe storms in February 2020 caused the land below the roads to subside. Since then, the road has been kept open thanks to the introduction of a weight limit and temporary traffic lights.

Executive member for highways and transportation, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “Following extensive ground investigations and negotiations with the private landowner, we are now able to undertake this work to stabilise the land, reconstruct the carriageway and improve the drainage of the road and the land supporting it. When this is complete, we will be able to remove the temporary traffic lights and the weight limit.”

The £480,000 scheme will involve stabilising the top of the slope next to the road, reconstructing the carriageway, repairing the highway drainage and stabilising, drainage and landscaping work on the slope below the carriageway.

The work is expected to take nine weeks, with a planned completion date of Friday, 16 December.

The scheme requires the road to be closed from 17 October to 9 December. A diversion will be in place via Pateley Bridge; the B6451 Dacre; Menwith Hill Road; Duck Street and Greenhow Hill village. Temporary traffic lights will be in place during the remainder of the work.

Cllr Andrew Murday, county councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale, said: “We have been waiting for these repairs to be done for a long time. The closure will be very inconvenient for people, but the work needs to be done and when it is complete people will feel the benefit.”