Protest held against four-year M6 junction closure

13 hours ago

Mark McAlindon,BBC Look North, Kirkby Stephenand

Naj Modak,North East and Cumbria

News image — Those protesting said they were worried about the impact the closure could have on the community

BBC/Mark McAlindon A crowd of more than 200 people with placards. They are standing in a market square in front of two white HGV cabs and a red tractor. There are shops and businesses in the background. — Those protesting said they were worried about the impact the closure could have on the community

Plans to close a busy motorway junction for four years while repairs to ageing bridges are carried out have been met with protests.

More than 200 people gathered at Market Square, in Kirkby Stephen, on Saturday to voice their concerns over the closure of junction 38 of the M6 through the Lune Gorge in Cumbria.

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmoreland and Lonsdale, said the lengthy closure "could be the killing" of many "shops, bars and restaurants".

A spokesperson for National Highways said: "Junction 38 will be accessible during the project apart from a limited number of occasional overnight or weekend closures which we will keep to a minimum."

BBC/Mark McAlindon A woman wearing a blue hat, coat, scarf and gloves, dark trousers and a brown bag is standing beside a man with a grey hat, black jacket, grey gloves and dark-coloured trousers. They are both holding a placard made to look like a children's book cover. It reads: 'How to build' slip road at J38 - a Ladybird book'. They are standing between a tractor and a truck with businesses behind them. — Temporary slip roads have been suggested as a solution

Work is starting in 2027 on eight concrete structures in total - seven road bridges and one overhead bridge - and is expected to finish in 2031.

Farron said communities in Kirkby Stephen would be among the "worst affected" with businesses "starved" of visitor trade because the passing traffic was "crucial to this town's vibrancy".

He said there would be "total closures" at junction 38 southbound for two years and then northbound for two years.

"The communities of Tebay and Orton, and also Kendal on the other side of the motorway, will be deeply impacted as well by excessive traffic but also businesses being strangled," he said.

Farron said he did not dispute that the work needed to be done to make the bridges safe but he said it was "entirely possible" to build temporary slip roads, both northbound and southbound.

He added that National Highways had "backed down" on the eighth bridge so people would be able to travel from Tebay to Grayrigg and Kendal.

BBC/Mark McAlindon A head-and-shoulders picture of Sarah Dunning - a woman with red hair in a short bob. She is smiling widely and is wearing a green scarf and grey coat. She is standing in front of businesses, cars and a crowd of people. — Sarah Dunning said the closure could be "terminal" for some businesses

Sarah Dunning, chair of Westmoreland, which runs Tebay Services, said: "It's going to have a huge impact on businesses, on farmers, on residents, on emergency services, on everybody.

"I think the amount of people here today really goes to show the level of concern in the community."

She said the closure could be "terminal for some businesses".

BBC/Mark McAlindon A head-and-shoulders image of Sandy Lancaster - a woman with blonde hair in a long bob. She is wearing a khaki-coloured coat with a cream faux fur collar and she is smiling and looking directly at the camera. She is standing in her sandwich shop. — Sandy Lancaster said the plans could be devastating for tourism

Town councillor Sandy Lancaster, who owns a shop in Kirkby Stephen, said she was "very worried" as high streets were already "suffering" with reduced footfall.

She added: "The thought of not having a high tourism season, which we usually have from Easter because we have our Easter rally right through to about September/October - it's devastating."

The National Highways spokesperson said the bridges were reaching the end of their life and the work was "vital" to continue to enable drivers to have safe and reliable journeys.

"Our aim is always to cause as little disruption as possible and we are committed to continue working with local communities and businesses nearby to limit the impact," they said.

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