Cumbria County Council is delighted to see the new roundabout on the A590 west of Cross-a-Moor complete and open for use today.

The County Council worked closely with Cumbria’s Local Enterprise Partnership, South Lakeland District Council and National Highways to develop the plans and secure the funding for the new roundabout which is required to support the delivery of over 1,000 new homes in South Ulverston.

The £9.5m scheme has been delivered by National Highways and has entailed constructing a new roundabout and link road to connect to the existing road network. A new wetland area has been created to facilitate cleaning of the drainage from the new road network and reducing the risk of flooding to some of the residents in Swarthmoor. The wetland area encompasses a storage basin and pedestrian footpath with a seating area for residents and visitors to use.

Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:

“I’m pleased to see the work complete at cross-a-moor. We’ve committed £1.8m into this project and have worked closely with the LEP, South Lakeland District Council and National Highways for a number of years to bring this scheme to fruition. It’s vital that our road network is able to cope to meet the demands of a growing population and the new roundabout will make big difference as this new housing is developed.”

Cllr Janet Willis, Cumbria County Council Local Member for Low Furness and Cabinet Member for Customers, Transformation and Fire and Rescue, added:

“I have been campaigning for improvements to this junction for many years and it’s great to see that it has paid off. This should significantly reduce congestion, the number accidents at this spot, and the disruption caused to local people when the road has to be closed as a result. I’d like to thank National Highways for the work they’ve done and for keeping the public so well informed about the scheme throughout.”

Jo Lappin, Chief Executive of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) said:

“It is excellent that two of our Board Members Alyson Armett and Steve Cole were able to attend the opening of the new Cross-A-Moor junction to see first-hand how CLEP’s £3.335m of expenditure helped fund this multi-million-pound project, which has delivered improvements to the A590, Main Road and created a new wetland area.

Importantly, this project will reduce congestion and improve safety as well as help create over 1,000 new homes. CLEP was delighted to work with partners in Cumbria County Council, National Highways and South Lakeland District Council to make this important project happen”.

Steve Mason, National Highways’ Project Manager, added:

“It has been a fantastic achievement for all involved and the support and cooperation of the local community has been greatly appreciated.

“The project teams across all of the funding partners have worked extremely well together demonstrating an ethos of collaboration and support at all levels.

“The construction team have worked hard through a range of challenges ensuring that the A590 and adjoining roads were kept safe and free flowing throughout.”