A69 at Warwick Bridge shut for hours after HGV crash
National Highways said the westbound carriageway was shut at around 8.53 pm on Tuesday, June 2, following the collision. Recovery of the lorry was completed by about 4 am on Wednesday, June 3, before contractors cleared debris from the carriageway. The A69 reopened in both directions at 5.47 am once clean-up work was finished.
Cumbria Police confirmed that no one was injured. This incident comes less than a month after another HGV overturned and struck a roadside property on the A69 at Warwick Bridge[1] on Friday, May 8. 
Residents and local councillors have previously raised concerns about HGVs using this section of the A69 and have called for safety improvements and weight limits on the route. Deborah Wearing, who jointly owns the property that was hit by the vehicle and lives there with her husband as well as her mother and father[2], has called for a 20 mph limit to be placed on the road, as well as a weight limit on the bridge leading up to the property. She said: "We need a 20 mph here, and we need a weight limit on that bridge.
"People have talked about putting traffic lights on the bridge, but that is not going to help the matter at all." 
A number of issues were considered at the time, and no agreement or further progress was reached. "The Department for Transport's contract with a private operator on the A69 ended on 31 March this year, and the route is now managed directly by National Highways. This change provides an opportunity for renewed discussions between the DfT and Cumberland Council."
"At present, however, responsibility for any changes to speed limits, including proposals for a 20mph limit, as well as wider road safety improvements on the A69, sits with National Highways."
A National Highways spokesperson said: "We are continuing to work with the Cumbria Road Safety Partnership to keep this route as safe as possible for everyone who uses it."
They added that they constantly review the safety performance of our network and meet regularly with members of the Road Safety Partnership to identify any areas of concern.
References
- ^ HGV overturned and struck a roadside property on the A69 at Warwick Bridge (www.newsandstar.co.uk)
- ^ Deborah Wearing, who jointly owns the property that was hit by the vehicle and lives there with her husband as well as her mother and father (www.newsandstar.co.uk)
- ^ Cumberland Council (www.newsandstar.co.uk)