Contents:
- Editor's welcome
- D-Day veteran from Rochdale celebrates his 100th birthday
- 25 years of Rochdale Connections Trust
- Striking stained glass window restored and reinstalled in Rochdale Town Hall
- Carl Abraham
- Dell Road reopens after major works to save route from collapse »
- £100k donated by RKT Trust
- Civic honours bestowed on 12 for outstanding contributions
- MysonPages conquers Yorkshire Three Peaks
- Chocolate chip stollen
- Wardle Scarecrow Festival
- Rochdale sweeps up at In Bloom awards
- Milnrow Balti crowned North West Restaurant of the Year at Britain’s top Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards
- Self-taught autistic artist shortlisted for award
- Chef David Hayden and wife Rachael run The Gallows in Milnrow, winners this summer of Come Dine With Me The Professionals.
- GEM Appeal Strawberry Sparkle Lunch
- Keeping financial control during the cost-of-living crisis
- Tickled pink! Best window displays for Cancer Research UK
- Hairdressing trend - Champagne pop
- No fault, no blame
- Gardening tips for winter
- Together we can tame the ill wind
- Memory lane
Winter 2022Dell Road reopens after major works to save route from collapse
A road that leads to one of Rochdale’s most popular beauty spots has re-opened 11 months after a major engineering project to save it from collapse.
Dell Road provides direct access from Shawclough Road into Healey Dell nature reserve, which is also home to Healey Dell Heritage Centre & Tea Rooms and Aunt Mary’s Day Nursery.
It was closed following an inspection by the council’s bridges and structures team in February 2021 after more than 90 metres of tension cracks appeared in the carriageway.
A decision was made on the grounds of public safety to close the road to vehicles in order to avoid a full collapse and the potential loss of the route forever.
The large-scale works began in November 2021 and were undertaken by F W Sherratt Ltd.
The council invested £1m in saving the road, which included a full restoration programme that saw the installation of 24 metres of deep retaining wall supported on cantilevered reinforced concrete foundations installed five metres below ground level.
A further 60-metre mass concrete wall founded on bedrock at a shallower depth was also constructed.
Almost 200 large hand-filled gabion baskets filled with stone now line the newly surfaced road to help prevent further landslides and 200 metres of new underground drainage pipes and six highway gullies installed to ensure adequate drainage have been installed.
Councillor Daniel Meredith, portfolio holder for highways and housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “I would like to thank local residents and businesses for their patience while works were ongoing.
“The in-depth work undertaken on Dell Road has been a long process, with the bulk of it not actually visible to the naked eye, but now back open thanks to investment, the road provides safe access for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and motorists.
“I encourage visitors to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings, which include the River Spodden, delightful scenery, an award-winning tea room, walking trails and spectacular waterfalls.”