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14
Jan
Council sets completion timeframe for A59 Kex Gill repairs
Repairs to the A59 at Kex Gill will be completed “within a week”, says a senior council officer.
Karl Battersby, corporate director of environment at North Yorkshire Council, gave an update on the closure at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting at Rudding Park Hotel last night.
The road at Kex Gill closed suddenly on new year’s day due to a landslip and has been closed ever since.
Work to repair it has not yet begun.
Mr Battersby said a contractor had been appointed to carry out repairs, which will involve stabilising the embankment. He added that he expected the work to start on the site at the end of this week.
He said:
We were on site last week doing some assessments. We have got a contractor on board.
We are hoping that the works will start at the end of this week and we are also hopeful that they will be done within a week.
Mr Battersby added that the cause of the closure was a "minor landslip" and nothing to do with the road itself.
However, he did not give a precise reopening date.
Karl Battersby, corporate director for environment at North Yorkshire Council.
A council spokesperson today said Harrogate firm HACS had been appointed to carry out the work, adding: "We aren’t able to disclose the value at this stage."
In a further update this morning, Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive councillor for highways, said the contractor's repairs would aim to reduce the risk of further closures.
He said:
Unfortunately, the recent snowfall and prolonged cold spell has affected the route and resulted in a snow drift, with snow still on the bank. This has impacted on the start of works.
It is anticipated that the worst of the weather is over, and temperatures are due to improve. Therefore, the landslip will be re-assessed, and work will start as soon as it is safe to do so.
Given the nature of the landslip, and to reduce the risk of any future closures, our contractor plans to not only remove the landslip debris, but also install new drainage.
We understand the impact this closure is having, and we are doing all we can to complete the works as quickly and as safely as possible. We have also installed additional ‘open as usual’ signs to help affected businesses.
We will ensure further, regular updates are shared with residents and businesses in the immediate vicinity of Kex Gill, as well as the wider public.
Eleven months ago, the A59 at Kex Gill was beset by a landslip which closed the road for five months and cost £3 million to repair.
A £68.9 million scheme to realign four kilometres of the road is taking place nearby.
Mr Battersby said the nature of landslips on the road “underlined” why the council was carrying out the project.
He said:
Hopefully the disruption — although painful — will be quite short lived this time. I can only apologise for it. It’s not anything we have done, it’s just a consequence of the nature of the road and really underlines why we are spending best part of £70 million moving its location.
A formal closure on the A59 has been put in place for 21 days.
Road users are advised to follow diversion routes via the A658, A660 and A65.
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