A628 maintenance and improvement programme

The programme consists of several improvements schemes for renewing retaining walls, parapets and drainage and resurfacing work to create safer, smoother and more dependable journeys

Start date April 2020

End date March 2021

Cost £5 million

Diagram of A628 maintenance works and improvements

Latest updates

25 September 2020

Work rearranged

Our resurfacing work which we were planning to carry out overnight for four nights starting on Monday 28 September has had to be rearranged.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 isolation rules our contractors are unable to provide adequate resource to complete the resurfacing.

We’re aiming to re-schedule this work for week commencing Monday 12 October depending on available resources and weather conditions.

We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
18 September 2020

Overnight closures planned to complete resurfacing and drainage work

We’ve installed all eight of our new drainage pipes running across the width of the carriageway and expect to complete the rest of that scheme by the end of September.

We’ve already completed three of the five wall repairs with work continuing on the fourth using temporary traffic lights 24/7.

From Tuesday 29 September we’ll carry out four nights of overnight closures to complete our resurfacing work, work on our fourth wall repair at Valehouse and start work on our Longside stability scheme which will be carried out under 24/7 temporary traffic lights for around five weeks starting on Monday 12 October.

We’re planning to start the final wall repair at Cockerhill in autumn under temporary traffic lights which will be in place 24/7.

The overnight closures will be Monday to Thursday, between 8pm and 6am.
01 August 2020

Work resumes after wren nest find

We’re repairing several retaining walls and barrier and installing improved drainage systems to make the carriageway safer. We’re also resurfacing to fix defects to make journeys smoother.

We have completed work on two of the wall repairs and started work on a third. We anticipate the fourth to start in a few weeks' time. This work is being carried out through the day under two-way temporary traffic lights.

We have also completed most of the resurfacing scheme and have started work on the two drainage schemes between Woodhead and Longside. The drainage work currently is being carried out between 8am and 5pm under two-way temporary traffic lights but we expect this work to be completed by the end of August.

We’d proposed four to five weekend closures to carry out the drainage work and have closed it twice out of the five so far.

During the last closure we discovered nesting wrens at the work site, and we had to stop work immediately to protect the nesting birds. It also meant that we were unable to use the planned contingency weekend Friday 3 July to Monday 5 July, to install the final three drains.

Our environmental steward has checked the site again and we are now able to continue. Because of the delay this has caused we’ll need to close the road again at the end of July to catch up and make sure the programme doesn’t go on for longer than necessary. Unfortunately, the work we’re doing can only be carried out under a full weekend closure because of the depth of excavation required across the width of the carriageway.

We'll be closing the route between Flouch roundabout and the Gun Inn 8pm on Friday 31 July until 6am on Monday 3 August.

We'll also hold the following weekend from Friday 7 August to Monday 10 August as a contingency in case of bad weather or other circumstances beyond our control.

Resurfacing work will also continue overnight between 8pm and 6am from Monday 7 September until Christmas, weather permitting.

During lockdown we've been working Monday to Friday, but we'll review the overnight closures prior to re-starting work.
06 May 2020
Work starts on retaining walls

We’re repairing several retaining walls and barrier and installing improved drainage systems to make the carriageway safer; we’re also resurfacing to fix defects to make journeys smoother.

We have started work on one of the wall repairs and will start on a second wall repair immediately after. This work is being carried out through the day under two-way temporary traffic lights, and will be complete prior to the drainage work starting on Monday 11 May. The drainage work will also be carried out through the day under two-way temporary traffic lights.

We'll be working overnight from Monday 25 May until Friday 10 July and then again from Monday 7 September until Christmas, weather permitting.

During lockdown we'll work Monday to Friday, but we'll review the overnight closures following government guidelines once lockdown restrictions are lifted.

To keep the period of work to a minimum we’ll also need to fully close the road for two weekends. Full closures will start on Friday evening and end on Monday morning.

Planned weekend closures:
- Friday 5 June to Monday 8 June
- Friday 3 July to Monday 5 July
We’ll do our best to complete this part of the work over the two-weekend closures, but we’ve set aside contingency weekends in case of poor weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances.

These will be:
- Friday 12 June to Monday 16 June
- Friday 10 July to Monday 13 July
- Friday 11 September to Monday 14 September

See more updates

Project information

These series of improvements are being carried out as part of a £5m investment in this vital Trans-Pennine route. This work which includes renewing retaining walls, barriers and drainage and resurfacing work will be carried out over this financial year and will create safer and smoother journeys.

The A628 is a crucial network route for an average of 9,000 road users each day. It’s a single lane route taking traffic over the Pennines enduring some of the most challenging weather conditions and continued extensive wear and tear.

The investment in maintaining this route will create safer, smoother more reliable journeys.

The drainage work will protect the carriageway from water damage and the resurfacing will ensure the route is free flowing, improving safety. Reconstructing retaining walls and barriers will also improve safety and create stability.