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30
May
New date planned for Kex Gill opening
North Yorkshire Council has revealed a new date for the opening of the £82.5 million realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill.
The new road, which is one of the council’s biggest ever capital schemes, was due to open on June 3 this year but was delayed to “mid-summer” due to adverse weather during the winter.
The road was originally expected in March 2025 at a cost of £68.8 million.
But the cost has soared by £13.7 million and the scheme is now running more than a year behind schedule.
Now, according to a council report before a council executive meeting on Tuesday (May 26), the new road is due to open on July 6.
The point where the new Kex Gill road diverges from the old one, just north-west of Fewston reservoir, visible at top left.
Gary Fielding, the council’s corporate director for resources, told senior councillors that the scheme was progressing well.
He said:
The scheme is progressing well on the ground and the contractual issues are in my view being well managed.
The A59 is the main east-west route between Harrogate and Skipton.
The new section of the A59 near Blubberhouses will replace the existing road, which the council said it had spent £6 million on repairing 15 landslips since 2000.
As well as the construction of the new carriageway, the project encompasses new bridleways and footpaths, four kilometres of natural stone walls, two balancing ponds, and an extensive environmental scheme to enrich local habitats in this national landscape, including planting 12,000 trees and installing several bird and barn owl boxes.
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