Galliford Try’s construction of the Carlisle Southern Link Road made significant progress during May, with earthworks and structural development moving forward in the dry weather.

After enduring one of the wettest summers on record last year, the project has benefited from one of the driest springs in more than a century, according to the Met Office. This shift in weather has allowed work to accelerate on several key elements of the road.

Galliford Try’s work on the 8km road started in 2023 with 800,000t of bulk excavation, which was to be done over two summers. However, Galliford Try project manager Phil Robinson told NCE last year that the wet weather had delayed its 2024 earthworks from summer to “late autumn”.

“The nature of the clay ground we are working on means that if you get more than a couple of days of rain you have to pull off, so as to avoid damaging it,” explained Robinson at the time. “We’ve had some challenges around quality of the material and we’re doing a lot of onsite lime treatment to get it up to the appropriate quality for reuse.”

Fortunes have now changed for the project in 2025, Cumberland Council has reported in its latest update on the project.

Overview of the Carlisle Southern Link Road project

Surfacing work has commenced on the section of the new road between Burthwaite Road, beneath the newly constructed Stoneraise Bridge and the emerging Durdar Roundabout. This marks a notable step towards completing the route’s driving surface.

The largest structure on the project is the Caldew Crossing, a bridge over the Cumbrian Coastline Railway and the River Caldew. The three-span structure measures 170m in length, 18m in width and has 20m clearance over the river. Following the placement of all 18 weathering steel beams for the Caldew Crossing in January (pictured), a major milestone was achieved in May with the overnight concrete pour for the deck of the span over the railway. This operation places the project on schedule for subsequent deck pours in the coming months, ensuring the crossing structure’s timely progress.

Moreover, the construction of the road box between the M6 Junction 42 and Petteril Bridge has been completed and is visible from Newbiggin Road. This development forms part of the preparations for an imminent closure of Newbiggin Road, which will facilitate further work on the link road.

Seven of the planned eight ponds along the route have now been formed, with efforts underway to line and topsoil them. These water features are expected to be planted later in the year as part of the road’s environmental mitigation strategy.

The Carlisle Southern Link Road is a significant infrastructure undertaking designed to improve traffic flow and connectivity around the city.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government – formerly the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities – committed £212M towards the link road as it will support the construction of St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, comprising more than 10,000 homes, on farmland south of Carlisle city centre. Meanwhile, Cumberland Council has allocated £13.4M, including £3.4M from the future sale of council-owned land for the development.

The Carlisle Southern Link Road will also improve east to west connectivity by linking the radial highways south of the city – the A595 and the A6. It will also insert much-needed crossings of two railway lines and two rivers. But just as important are the facilities for active travel that the scheme includes.

There are four bridges planned for cyclists and pedestrians that will provide grade-separated crossings at junctions along the length of the route. These bridges will also facilitate connections into the active travel infrastructure that is part of the village masterplan. The scheme additionally includes five roundabouts and five road bridges.

As the project moves through its various construction phases, local authorities continue to monitor progress and weather impacts closely to meet planned deadlines.

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