Snake Pass could close warns local councillor - 'multi-million-pound pot of investment' needed

Snake Pass, the popular A57 Peak District biking road that runs from the Ladybower Reservoir to Glossop could be under threat of closure due to deteriorating ground conditions in the area. 

• Related: Report reveals that public concern with UK road conditions are at highest levels ever

The Pennine route has faced several landslips in recent years that have reduced its structural integrity, even to the point that sections of the road have broken away – as was the case with the nearby Mam Tor Road that closed in 1979. 

Increasingly frequent ongoing roadworks are in-place to keep the section of A57 open, but these costly interventions are becoming progressively less effective, and Derbyshire County Council have warned that should a large-scale land movement occur, the damage could be too expensive to repair. 

Councillor Charlotte Cupit, cabinet member for Highways Assets and Transport, told MCN: “It’s a road that we absolutely want to keep open, but as the four current landslips show, it is now at risk of a more significant slip that we may not be able to fix. 

“We’re facing an increasing challenge to keep up with resurfacing on Snake, repairs are lasting months rather than years.  

“It’s becoming increasingly unsustainable to carry on in this way with factors like climate change making conditions more challenging. 

“Currently, routine maintenance is costing in the hundreds of thousands each year, but to do any major work on fixing the slips would be in the millions – that’s funding that we don’t currently receive. 

“In the long run, it needs a significant, multi-million-pound pot of investment to carry out major repairs to sure up the road for the future.  

“There has also been a history of fatalities on Snake Pass too, and that’s something we’re raising with government to see what changes we could make to make the route safer for all.”