| Snake Pass - A57 road between Sheffield and Manchester Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 10:04, 19th July 2025 |     |
Getting worse / global warming / changing climate / or lack of maintenance or am I just noticing??
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yrnz5wxgko
Snake Pass: Could famous road close to cars?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yrnz5wxgko
Snake Pass: Could famous road close to cars?
From the BBC:
'Risky' Snake Pass set for £7.6m safety work
The Peak District's infamous Snake Pass is set to benefit from a £7.6m investment, it has been announced.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said the funding would deliver "lifesaving improvements" on the A57 route, which links Sheffield and Manchester.
Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said: "Anyone driving on the A57 Snake Pass knows how risky it can feel."
The planned changes include speed limit signage, stabilisation of the carriageway, improved visibility and a dedicated motorcycle barrier.
Snake Pass is regarded as one of the most scenic driving roads in the UK, and is used by about 30,000 vehicles a week. But it is also considered one of the "most high-risk" roads in England due to a series of steep bends, twists and blind junctions.
Collision data submitted to the DfT states that, between 2018 and 2023, there were five fatalities, 62 serious and 102 "slight" collision casualties.
It is often the subject of roadworks and closes regularly due to poor weather or landslips, making it dangerous to drive along.
Work to build the road began in 1818 and it opened in 1821.
Roger Hargreaves, director of Glossop Heritage Trust, previously said it was built as a turnpike - or toll road - but it was financially unsuccessful from the start and did not make enough money to maintain itself.
"First of all, the summit is at nearly 1,700ft, very exposed, and sometimes it was closed by snow for months in the winter," he said. "It was also built along ground which was not stable, and so it was really not a good idea to build a road along this route."
Snake Pass often shuts in winter due to ice and snow - and closures due to landslips are becoming so frequent that Derbyshire County Council warned it could not afford to keep repairing the road.
The authority said historical records suggested landslips had taken place along the road with closures dating back at least 90 years. It had previously asked the DfT for a "landslips fund" to keep the road open in future and said it would not have the resources to deal with a major landslip.
However, the DfT said it was "not responsible for Snake Pass" and "does not hold contingency funding for major repairs of this sort".
(BBC article continues)
The Peak District's infamous Snake Pass is set to benefit from a £7.6m investment, it has been announced.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said the funding would deliver "lifesaving improvements" on the A57 route, which links Sheffield and Manchester.
Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said: "Anyone driving on the A57 Snake Pass knows how risky it can feel."
The planned changes include speed limit signage, stabilisation of the carriageway, improved visibility and a dedicated motorcycle barrier.
Snake Pass is regarded as one of the most scenic driving roads in the UK, and is used by about 30,000 vehicles a week. But it is also considered one of the "most high-risk" roads in England due to a series of steep bends, twists and blind junctions.
Collision data submitted to the DfT states that, between 2018 and 2023, there were five fatalities, 62 serious and 102 "slight" collision casualties.
It is often the subject of roadworks and closes regularly due to poor weather or landslips, making it dangerous to drive along.
Work to build the road began in 1818 and it opened in 1821.
Roger Hargreaves, director of Glossop Heritage Trust, previously said it was built as a turnpike - or toll road - but it was financially unsuccessful from the start and did not make enough money to maintain itself.
"First of all, the summit is at nearly 1,700ft, very exposed, and sometimes it was closed by snow for months in the winter," he said. "It was also built along ground which was not stable, and so it was really not a good idea to build a road along this route."
Snake Pass often shuts in winter due to ice and snow - and closures due to landslips are becoming so frequent that Derbyshire County Council warned it could not afford to keep repairing the road.
The authority said historical records suggested landslips had taken place along the road with closures dating back at least 90 years. It had previously asked the DfT for a "landslips fund" to keep the road open in future and said it would not have the resources to deal with a major landslip.
However, the DfT said it was "not responsible for Snake Pass" and "does not hold contingency funding for major repairs of this sort".
(BBC article continues)
