April 2015 – link road to stay shut for another year

A key road which links south Fylde with Blackpool is to stay shut until April next year.
Wild Lane, known as the Moss, has been closed due to damageWild Lane, known as the Moss, has been closed due to damage
Wild Lane, known as the Moss, has been closed due to damage

Lancashire County Council issued a notice this week which confirmed Wild Lane, also known as the Moss Road, is to remain shut until April 22, 2015.

The busy route, used by hundreds of commuters everyday, was closed by police in August after a series of accidents following issues with the carriageway.

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It was due to re-open in February, but no party was prepared to pay the cost of repairs, estimated at more than £300,000.

Coun Paul HayhurstCoun Paul Hayhurst
Coun Paul Hayhurst

County Coun Paul Hayhurst, who represents Fylde, called the road closure a “nonsense” and revealed a steering group has been established to remedy the situation.

He added: “I am sure that this news will not come as a shock to anyone. I predicted six months ago when Wild Lane was first closed that it would never re-open again and I think that in time I will be proved right as the county council will never find £300,000 to pay for repairs on a road with a limited life.

“It’s nonsense. It’s not taking 12 months to do it. It (the county council) has no intention of doing it.”

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County Coun Hayhurst said he wants the route to re-open – but as a one-way system.

He added: “There is clearly sufficient width of road on the damaged section of Wild Lane for cars to safely travel in one direction.

“If the damaged section was cordoned off, a one way system could operate in one direction from the junction of Wild Lane and Division Road to School Road with a further one way system operating in the opposite direction from the junction of Midgeland Road and Division Lane to the junction of Wild Lane and Division Lane.”

A group including the leader of Fylde Council, Coun David Eaves and MP Mark Menzies has met to discuss ways to get the road open, with it hoped pressure can be put on the county council to find a way of opening the route.

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County Coun Hayhurst added: “We’ve had an important road closed and nothing is being done to remedy the situation.

“We have a Labour-backed county council looking to the east rather than the west.

“It is the biggest issue affected the area – we have got to get something done.”

Lancashire County Council’s public realm manager, Sim Lane Dixon said the council would use the closure period to repair the route.

He added: “Access to farm land will be maintained wherever and whenever possible.

“The temporary closure is necessary to enable urgent repairs to be carried out following a carriageway collapse.”