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27
Nov
Definitive end to Kirkby Malzeard roadworks saga remains elusive
Yorkshire Water has issued an update on the ongoing roadworks in Kirkby Malzeard but is still unable to give a clear completion date.
Residents have been subject to extensive roadworks throughout the village, which led to two main access routes closing concurrently and mayhem on the roads.
Church Street reopened after a short closure, but Main Street – which shut on August 27 – is still blocked off.
Yorkshire Water closed the road after a collapsed sewer caused a sinkhole to develop and expected to finish the work on Main Street by December 6.
However, the firm last month said the job was “incredibly complex” and would take an additional 10 weeks to finish.
Councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, a Liberal Democrat who represents Masham and Fountains on North Yorkshire Council, held a public meeting to address the impact the closure was having on residents and local business on October 15.
It was then Cllr Cunliffe-Lister also passed on the news of the 10-week delay.
The council’s roadworks map offers two expected completion dates: December 6 - as originally planned - and December 13. But the additional 10 weeks would mean the roadworks would finish around Christmas Eve.
The Stray Ferret has closely followed the saga, which has led to ongoing frustrations among residents, and yesterday asked Yorkshire Water for a completion date.
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson yesterday said:
It’s a complex repair and reinstatement, and so we are still expecting to be working past the 6 December. We’re expecting to be finished before Christmas (in line with the update on October 15).
A screenshot of the council's roadworks map.
The firm previously said the collapsed sewer was around nine metres under the road surface, adding it had to drill to a depth of 15 metres as part of the ground investigation work.
Yorkshire Water recently shared an update on the progress of the roadworks with Cllr Cunliffe-Lister, which said:
We have indeed reached the pipe, and the repair is going well. We are hoping the repair will be completed by the end of the week and then we can start the reinstatement.
As it is so deep the backfill and removal of shoring equipment will take quite a while. Likewise, we need to understand the damage to the surrounding road surface and reinstate that too.
We are currently on track to complete everything within the 10 weeks originally outlined and to have cleared site before Christmas.
Diversions and compensation
At last month’s public meeting, people raised concerns over HGVs travelling through the village whilst Main Street is closed, congestion and road safety.
Cllr Cunliffe-Lister put these concerns to Yorkshire Water and the council’s highways department at the time and a different traffic management system was implemented.
She last month:
The diversion through Church Bank and Longswales Lane will be closed to HGVs, with an understanding that farm traffic would still be using this route during harvest.
For the time being it's the case that Yorkshire Water has closed the diversion through the village to HGVs with signage in place for a one-way route to enable HGVs to access the west side of Kirkby – which includes the construction site – via Laverton Bridge and to exit via the road from Laverton to Warren Lane.
Cllr Cunliffe-Lister told the Stray Ferret HGVs that require access to the village – such as those delivering supplies to businesses – were permitted to use the diversion. However, in an update shared today, the councillor said some HGV drivers have ignored the restrictions.
She added on social media:
I am aware that some HGVs drivers are still using the Church Bank and Longswales diversion, but I hope that overall levels have reduced.
It should be noted that HGVs that ignore the signage and use this route run the risk of not being insured in the event of an accident or claim.
Please let me know if any damages are incurred - whilst Yorkshire Water recommend recovery via insurance, they will contribute to excess and/or increases in premium.
Some businesses have not yet been given information on how to claim loss of earnings due to the ongoing roadworks, Cllr Cunliffe-Lister said, adding she will also chase Yorkshire Water to ensure the firm helps people with this.
The Stray Ferret has followed this story closely. You can find more articles on the roadworks saga here and here.
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