Landslip-hit road could reopen in days - council

A major road in North Yorkshire which has been closed since a landslip at Christmas could be opened again within the next two weeks, a council has said.

The A59 is currently shut between Hardisty Hill and the junction with Kex Gill Road, between Harrogate and Skipton, with a long diversion in place.

The landslip is the 15th at the location since 2000, according to North Yorkshire Council.

Keane Duncan, the authority's executive member for highways and transport, said: "We plan to hopefully be on site this week and the works, we think, we could hopefully have wrapped up within 10 days."

"This is expected to be a much shorter closure than the previous one," he told BBC Radio York.

"Snow has impacted our work. It's frustrated our efforts in that key remote location," he said.

The road is a key east-west route linking Harrogate and Skipton, and provides a route across the north of England between junction 31 of the M6 and junction 47 of the A1(M).

It has previously been closed for long periods because the area is prone to landslips.

However, a bypass being constructed near Blubberhouses is due to replace the section of the A59 which is most often affected.

The new three-mile (4.8km) route had previously been expected to be opened by later this year - but that has now been moved back to spring 2026.

The authority previously said the most recent landslip was not related to the bypass project.

A spokesperson said work on the new route was "progressing well and is designed to prevent further unplanned and disruptive closures such as this".

Earlier this month, Kate Bailey, who owns the Dalesway Cafe on the A59 in Skipton, told the BBC that an earlier closure of the road had cost her about £2,000 a week in lost custom, forcing her to reduce staffing and cut opening hours.

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