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22
Sept 2022
£69m Kex Gill road scheme set for December start after contractor named
A contractor has been lined up to carry out the £68.8 million re-alignment of the A59 at Kex Gill in the Harrogate district.
North Yorkshire County Council has awarded preferred bidder status to John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd, an Irish civil engineering and construction firm. A council spokeswoman said the value of the contract was "commercially confidential".
John Sisk & Son was involved in the delivery of the 2012 London Olympics and the capital’s Crossrail project.
The decision is dependent on funding from the Department for Transport, which is currently reviewing the full business case. A decision is expected next month.
Contractors will move on site in December to clear the moorland by late February next year to avoid the bird nesting season. An estimated completion date is May 2025.
The A59 at Kex Gill, near Blubberhouses, is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton. Since 2000, the route has been closed 12 times following landslips.
The DfT awarded a £56.1 million grant for the realignment towards an original budget estimate of £61.6 million. The county council agreed to pay the remainder from its capital reserves.
The project has faced numerous delays and following tender returns, the estimated cost of the scheme increased by £7.2m to £68.8m, which the council attributes to due to inflation affecting constructions costs.
It therefore approved an increase in its allocated funding from £5.5m to £12.7m, given the DfT grant is fixed.
Asked whether the scheme would require detours and road closures, a council spokesewoman said:
Cllr Keane Duncan
Cllr Keane Duncan, the council's executive member for highways and transportation, said:
'Light at end of tunnel'
Cllr Nathan Hull (pictured above), a Conservative who represents Washburn and Birstwith on the council, said:
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Sisk's Yorkshire projects include completing the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme City Centre Gateways and is delivering major infrastructure work at York Central.
Dominic Hodges, managing director of Sisk, said:
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