Harley Bank to reopen ahead of schedule

Shropshire County Council its consultants Mouchel and contractors Enterprise will have completed the rock stabilising works at Harley Bank, by late afternoon on the 1 August, over a week earlier than expected.

Councillor John Everall and Councillor David Gibbon will be at Harley Bank tomorrow to formally reopen the road to the general public and to observe the work that has been carried out.

Over 16,000 tonnes of rock has been excavated from the site following an investigation last year, which found the rock face to be unstable. At one point, the rock was 10 metres deep across the A458.

Enterprise have removed the rock and re-profiled the hill, to prevent future rock falls onto the A458 and to avoid future road closures. As well as this the council has taken the opportunity to reposition and widen the road.

Shropshire County Council and Enterprise have worked tirelessly to ensure that these works were completed as quickly as possible, to minimise disruption during the summer holidays. During the closure Shropshire County Council has been working with Much Wenlock Town Council and local traders to promote the town and to minimise any disruption to trade during the road closure.

John Everall, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: “This is a great achievement for the officers and their consultants and contractors. This was a long and complex project, and it is great news that we can open the road ahead of schedule.

“We have worked hard to try and minimise disruption as much as possible, however the road closure was essential for the safety of the public and the workforce, given the amount of rock that had to be excavated.”

David Gibbon, Shropshire County Councillor for Much Wenlock, said: “We are pleased that the works were completed as early as this, as local traders can benefit from the A458 being open for the remainder of the summer season.”

“We would like to thank people for their patience during these essential works, as we appreciate a long diversion route has been in place.”

31 July 2008