Dearne Valley bypass reopens after car arson causes structural damage

In July, a section of the A635 Dearne Valley bypass near Goldthorpe was closed after a car was deliberately set on fire in an underpass, which led to ‘significant structural damage to the underpass roof’, with further vandalism weakening the road.

Barnsley Council has now re-opened the closed section on a temporary basis, with temporary traffic lights in place.

A spokesperson for the council said that work is still needed to fully repair and reopen the bypass, and ‘additional closures will be required in the coming months when demolition and rebuilding work takes place’.

The council’s contractor has cut the subway roof slab in half to separate the damaged section, allowing traffic to run on one lane of the bypass.

The spokesperson added: “Despite our ongoing efforts to reopen the bypass and repair the subway roof as quickly as possible, we have continued to see significant vandalism in the area. We’d like to remind everyone that vandalism is not tolerated in our borough, and this vandalism is only delaying our work even further.”

Councillor James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, said: “This ongoing vandalism has caused unplanned delays by preventing us from securing the site to make it safe for residents, our highways team, and contractors to carry out these inspections.

“We’d greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work towards repairing the underpass. The safety and well-being of road and underpass users are our utmost priority.”