HIGHWAYS bosses have confirmed the final route for an A595 bypass at Grizebeck.

The route was one of two options under consideration by Cumbria County Council in a bid to improve safety on the key road linking south and west Cumbria.

In justifying the decision highways bosses said the 'blue route' met the objectives of the government's Major Road Network Fund of improving connectivity and journey reliability.

It was also backed by 75 per cent of public consultation respondents and would allow the existing A595 to remain in use during construction work.

The announcement comes after some villagers argued both routes being considered by the council would cut Grizebeck in half.

They had called for an alternative route to the west to be considered although council bosses said the blue route "demonstrates value for money".

Resident Emma Stephenson said: "Many residents enquired why a route to the west, which would be faster and more resilient was not proposed, we were told that it would be more expensive, however on further questioning they were unable to give us the figures," she said.

Highways bosses said they were aware of a desire for "other routes to be considered" but "further work undertaken concluded that these routes could not meet the scheme objectives or had significant deliverability issues".

The council will now complete the business case for the project before submitting it for funding approval to the government.

Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council's cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “Improving the A595 at Grizebeck is really important for Cumbria. It will not only improve journey times and help boost the county’s economy but also create a safer and more resilient road between Barrow and West Cumbria.

“I was pleased to see that the public engaged well with the consultation, with over 300 sign-ins at the drop-in events, and over 250 consultation responses via the feedback form. This excellent response demonstrates the importance of the A595 to communities and employers in South and West Cumbria.”