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20
Jan
Kex Gill repair bill revealed
North Yorkshire Council has allocated £300,000 for repairs to the landslip on the A59 at Kex Gill.
The road, which is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton, closed suddenly on New Year’s Day and is expected to reopen on January 29.
The council appointed Harrogate building contractor HACS to carry out the work.
Last week a council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret it was unable to disclose the value of the contract.
But a new highways spending document, which will be discussed by the local authority on Friday, sets aside £300,000 for the Kex Gill landslip in this financial quarter. You can read the document here.
According to the council, the project involves removing more than 2,000 tonnes of debris which has slipped down from the slope, as well as installing 50 metres of new drainage channels and introducing about 100 tonnes of clean stone to stabilise the area.
Three miles of the A59 are being realigned in the landslip-prone area at Kex Gill as part of a £68.8 million scheme. The Department for Transport has provided £56.1 million and the council is contributing the remaining £12.7 million.
Extra highways funding
Friday’s council meeting is expected to add two other local road projects to this year’s highways programme, as well as the Kex Gill scheme.
The report, written by James Gilroy, the council’s team leader for highways asset management, proposes setting aside £50,000 to improve drainage on the B6162 Otley Road in Harrogate and £85,000 for resurfacing in Ilton, near Masham.
A total of 19 roads schemes, with a combined value of £2,005,264, have been added to this year’s highways capital forward programme. The other 16 are in other parts of North Yorkshire.
Mr Gilroy’s report says the council’s 2025/26 highways capital maintenance allocation, which was confirmed by the Department for Transport on December 20 last year, “represents an increase of £15.4 million compared to 2024/25”.
It adds:
Officers are in the process of using this information to finalise the 2025/26 highways capital annual programme. A report seeking approval for this annual programme will be presented at the February 2024 environment executive member meeting for highways and transportation, which is scheduled for February 28.
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