WORK on the Carlisle Southern Link Road (CSLR) will be completed ‘in phases’ with operations continuing past the proposed target end date, according to Cumberland Council.

Key parts of the road will be operational by the proposed October 2025 finish date but the entire road will not open at the same time.

The Carlisle Southern Link Road will connect Junction 42 of the M6 with the A595 to the west. The route will include new junctions linking existing radial routes into Carlisle and the proposed St Cuthbert's Garden Village.

The route will include bridges over two main railway lines and the Caldew and Petteril rivers, a network of footways and cycleways and an extensive programme of landscaping and 'environmental mitigation'.

The 8km long road will help relieve congestion in Carlisle and provide the access and network capacity to enable the delivery of the 10,000 home garden village.

Work on the CSLR has now been underway for more than a year with regular road closures and traffic lights impacting residents and business owners.

The closure of Dalston Road has angered business owners in Dalston and Stephen Hickson, owner of Garden House Nursery in Dalston, said that the closure has ‘massively’ affected his business.

Cumberland Council said that the end date continues to be ‘heavily dependent’ on weather and ‘seasonal restrictions’.

A council spokesperson said: "We can confirm that some sections of the CSLR will be open by October 2025. However, the entire road will not open all at once. The CSLR will be completed in phases, and as individual sections are finalised, they will be opened for public use.

"Our programme of works and road closures are being carefully sequenced to allow us to work efficiently on the new road and reopen areas as soon as they are ready and safe for public use.

"While key parts of the road will be operational by the proposed October 2025 target, works - such as landscaping and the closure of construction compounds - will continue after that time.

"The programme dates continue to be heavily dependent on weather and seasonal restrictions for the earthworks."