Watch: Work under way to stabilise A488 in Shropshire as road 'slips towards the river'
Work is well under way to stablise the A488 after a series of major landslips.
Shropshire Council crews are working on the second phase of efforts to address a number of landslip issues along the A488 in Hope Valley.
The road, between Minsterley and the Welsh border has been closed since June 30 and is expected to reopen on August 22.
During the closure, Minsterley Motors is providing a shuttle bus service due to the usual 553 service being disrupted.
Shropshire Council leader Councillor Heather Kidd said there had been "five major landslips" on and around the A488, and she hoped this month's work would "be the end of it".
Ian McLellan of highways contractor Kier said: "The sides of the roads are slipping into the nearby river. These schemes, individually, aren't complex, but the complexity is the location, the remoteness and this is a site of specific scientific interest [SSSI].
"We've had to work with geologists and we've had to work with Natural England to deliver a solution that is one, going to last; but is two, going to meet the requirements of Natural England and protect the status of the SSSI."
As part of the work to stabilise the road, the team is building a wall of rocks up from the riverbank, with some of the stones weighing around two tonnes each.
"Getting them onto site and into location was a real challenge," said Ian.
"We've had to bring specialist equipment in, have BT cables moved - thankfully that's been successful - and we've got a good base in now to make sure that we provide a solution that is going to last and keep this road very stable for years to come."
Councillor Heather Kidd added: "This is amazing, the amount of work here, until you're actually onsite and standing at the bottom, you don't realise how technical it is, how deep it is.
"I'm really impressed with the amount of work that's going on, and I'm looking forward to it being open by the time the schools go back."
