Part of the A6 in Matlock will be closed for flood defence repair works from today (Tuesday 5th April). The main route will be shut from just before Matlock Bridge to just before the bus and train station entrance.
The road will be closed from 7pm on Tuesday, April 5 until 7am on Thursday, April 7, meaning there will be daytime closures on Wednesday, April 6 in the town. A footpath alongside the River Derwent will also be closed with pedestrians and cyclists being diverted along the A6 pavement.
Traffic from the north and south will be diverted over Matlock Bridge, with traffic lights in operation on Crown Square. While delays are expected, the change will save northbound traffic from a long diversion.
The closure will allow the Environment Agency to carry out essential flood prevention work to reduce the flood risk to over 50 homes and businesses after Matlock was battered by flooding for the fourth time in around two years earlier this year. Several storms including Storm Franklin swept through the UK and the combined impact led to heavy flooding of up to three feet in parts of the town centre.
The work will involve lifting an additional 100 two-tonne rock filled bags by a large crane situated on the A6 into the River Derwent to reduce erosion and limit damage to an Environment Agency flood wall that sits next to the privately-owned wall behind businesses in Crown Square, Matlock that collapsed in February.
The Environment Agency is working with Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Dales District Council to manage the risk of flooding from the River Derwent.
Before the closures are enforced next week, a survey team will also be taking measurements to gather valuable ground level data to inform a longer-term engineering solution.
