Barbondale Cattle Grid Failure

A structural member supporting the cattle grid rails had displaced, causing failure of some rails and instability of the others. It was apparent that the grid was unsafe for vehicles and we had to immediately close the cattle grid. Recognising the disruption that a full road closure would cause to the local community, we have put traffic management in place to divert traffic through the bypass gate adjacent to the grid. We are working on site today to improve the bypass for this traffic and to provide additional signs. Hopefully this will provide a suitable safe alternative to a full road closure, but we will need to monitor the situation and we may have to reappraise if it becomes apparent that traffic cannot safely negotiate the route through the bypass gate.
The nature of the historic proprietary cattle grid, and of the damage to it, mean that a repair solution and timescale is not immediately identifiable. Once the immediate situation has been managed, we will turn our attention to what needs to happen next, and will update you further.