A HIGHWAYS boss is confident an improved stretch of the collapsed A591 will withstand future storms.

Two months after it was badly damaged by Storm Desmond, work finally got underway yesterday to restore the key road - which provides a vital link between north and south Lakes.

However the Dunmail Raise stretch, near Thirlmere, will not be ready to take traffic until May.

Andy Withington, senior manager at Highways England North West, explained: “We need to repair approximately 120 metres of the A591 which had collapsed.

“That involves excavating the existing road down to the under level then start to build it back up. It’s not a small amount of work but we are aiming to do it by the end of May.”

Once repaired, the road will have a reinforced wall to prevent it from washing away in heavy rainfall.

Mr Withington said although it isn’t a quick fix, it will be worth it in the long run. 

Asked if he can assure residents it won’t happen again he said: “Absolutely. The existing road was just over an embankment which got washed away by high water flows.

“We are building a reinforced concrete retaining wall, tied in to the rock with steel columns. It will be very secure.

“We have been tasked with making sure there won’t be a repeat, and there won’t be. It’s a very substantial repair.”

There has been some criticism of the time it has taken to start the repairs to what is a key tourist route, linking Keswick and Grasmere.

But Mr Withington said Highways England were only asked to help Cumbria County Council with the project a month ago.

“The secretary of state committed to do something at the beginning of January so although it might not seem like a quick response it has only been four weeks,” he added.

“In that time we have got a contractor on board, set up the site, worked with a designer to understand the problem and then start the work. We’ve been on site since January 25.

“We are doing it as quickly as we possibly can. We have people working seven days a week.”