Derbyshire’s Snake Pass closed for next four weeks amid investigation into landslip

The A57 Snake Pass will close for a month from Monday, September 26 to allow specialist contractors to complete investigations into the causes of a landslip at Alport.

The ground investigation is needed so that plans can be drawn up to fix the pass. During the closure the road at Woodhouse Cottage on the pass will be resurfaced.

The road will be closed to all users from Doctors Gate to Hagg Farm, a distance of 5.6 miles. The contractors will need to use the remaining piece of road at the Alport slip for a drilling rig, so there will be no possibility of any vehicles getting past.

Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways assets and transport, said: “We do realise that this closure is going to be very inconvenient for all those who use the pass, but we have no choice but to carry out this work.

“We have been in touch with the residents and businesses on the pass to make sure they are aware of the work, and we thank them and other local residents for their patience while the work is being carried out.

“Once this investigation is completed we will work with specialists to find a design solution to this latest landslip, and this will be fully costed.”

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Should anyone decide to travel on the Snake Pass during the work, there are turning places at either end of the closure.

Advisory signs and traffic marshalls will be present at either end of the Snake Pass, warning that it will not be possible to get from one side to the other, and vehicles will have to turn around and come back the same way.

The Snake Pass was closed in February 2022 following damage sustained along the route after two storms. The weather caused three sections of the road surface to drop – by around two metres in one area – leaving major cracks to the road surface and the risk of further landslips.

Once the ground investigation is complete the road will open again. Traffic lights and a 20mph speed restriction will be in place at the location of each landslip and the weight limit will remain.