Dales villages could be ‘cut off’ by road repairs ahead of Tour

A COUNCIL leader has expressed grave fears that some of the country’s most isolated communities could be cut off from the outside world as highways chiefs embark on a £1m programme of work to prevent landslips on key routes in the Yorkshire Dales.

The road repairs are due to be undertaken by North Yorkshire County Council in the Upper Dales throughout the winter months ahead of the arrival of the Tour de France’s Grand Départ in the region next summer.

The council has stressed that the repairs along the A6108 and B6270 between Richmond and Reeth are “essential” in an attempt to prevent landslips and secure the long-term future of the future of the roads.

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But Richmondshire District Council’s leader John Blackie has warned that the proposed road closures while the repairs are carried out will mean communities in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale are forced to use only remote moorland routes which are often closed following heavy snowfall.

Coun Blackie, who also represents the Upper Dales division on the county council, said: “The roads where the repairs are being carried out are lifelines to communities and businesses in the Upper Dales.

“We need to be assured by the county council and the emergency services that there are very robust arrangements in place to ensure residents will be able to access the outside world, otherwise people’s lives will be put in peril.”

There will be four moorland routes accessible to motorists while the work is carried out on the A6108 and the B6270, although they reach heights of 2,000ft above sea level. One of the moorland roads snakes across the famous Buttertubs Pass which was closed in March this year due to 15ft snow drifts.

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Coun Blackie also expressed concerns that emergency services will be unable to access the remote communities, and vital deliveries by heavy goods vehicles will also be impeded while the main routes between Richmond and Reeth are closed off.

A meeting will be chaired by Coun Blackie at the CB Inn near Langthwaite in Arkengarthdale from 7pm on November 21, when highways officers will discuss the proposed programme of repairs and attempt to allay the public’s concerns. While the exact start date of the work has yet to be confirmed, it is expected road closures spanning up to 12 weeks will have to be put in place.

Coun Blackie said: “We really do need to hear people’s views as we need to ensure that access is maintained. There are a lot of local businesses involved in the hospitality trade, and if they cannot get supplies through then 
the local economy will be strangled.”

A county council spokeswoman confirmed detailed geo-technical investigations have been carried out along the A6108 and the B6270 after it was discovered parts of the routes are in a poor condition due to the “effects of weather and geology”. A total of 11 different locations will need to be repaired through a combination of drainage, piling, earth works and resurfacing.

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She added: “The investigations have been crucial in helping to establish the best solutions for restoring sections of the road to the necessary standard for the longer term. The authority intends to start the work as soon as possible which will continue through to 2014. Because the work will have to take place during winter months the county council will make every effort to ensure that diversion routes are properly gritted whenever necessary.”

It was announced last December that Yorkshire had been successful in its bid to host the opening two stages of the 2014 Tour in what was heralded as the region’s greatest ever sporting coup.

The Grand Départ is expected to attract two million spectators and bring an estimated £100m boost. The race will set off from Leeds to Harrogate on July 5, before starting in York and finishing in Sheffield the following day. Part of the route will take in the Dales.