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    04

    Aug 2020

    Last Updated: 04/08/2020
    Harrogate
    Harrogate

    Coronavirus backlog sees roadworks double in Harrogate district

    by Connor Creaghan

    | 04 Aug, 2020
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    The council also pointed to a "greater number" of new developments in Harrogate when compared to previous years which need utility works.

    leeds-road-roadworks

    Roadworks in the Harrogate district are double what North Yorkshire County Council would expect for this time of year.

    At the end of last week, there were 88 individual road and street works in progress. The council said coronavirus had delayed a "significant amount" of those works.

    The council also pointed to a "greater number" of new developments in Harrogate when compared to previous years, which need utility works.



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    Barrie Mason, the assistant director for highways in North Yorkshire, said:

    "Not all of these works will have a traffic impact and many will be relatively minor works with little or no traffic impact. North Yorkshire County Council has continued with works throughout the covid-19 lockdown period taking all necessary safety measures to continue to deliver as close to a business as usual service as possible."


    Businesses said they were heartbroken after seeing roadworks on Leeds Road roundabout. It often means a reduced taking, something particularly painful after the coronavirus lockdown.

    Local pressure led to reduced roadwork on Leeds Road but queues of traffic have been a common sight in the district in the past month.

    Tony Colbeck, the owner of Country Butchers, voiced his frustration at the start of the works:

    “It should have been done in the coronavirus lockdown when there weren’t as many cars. We found today that because it is quiet, people stay away. I don’t know what it is about Harrogate at the moment but they seem to be ripping up every road.”