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25
Sept
Two major roadworks to begin in Harrogate on same day
Yorkshire Water announced today (September 25) that its delayed £1.8 million Harrogate roadworks project will begin next month — on the same day as another major roadworks scheme gets underway on Wetherby Road.
The company was due to start replacing 1.2 km of water mains on August 26.
But the scheme was postponed at the last minute when North Yorkshire Council, the highways authority, said it had not been notified.
Emails published by the Stray Ferret after a freedom of information request revealed the council’s head of network strategy told Yorkshire Water the town was “already massively congested” and “you’re realistically looking at 2026 before the works can commence”.
But a Yorkshire Water statement today said the first phase of the project will begin on October 6 — the same day as work to create a crossing on Wetherby Road is due to get underway.
The first phase of the Yorkshire Water scheme is due to last until November 16. It will start in the pedestrianised area of Market Place and also include a “short” road closure on James Street.
Alex Spivey, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said:
Since the project was postponed we have been working closely with the council to reschedule, and to make sure that we’re completing the work with as little disruption as possible. We’re really pleased that we’ll be able to start the project in the next couple of weeks – sooner than we’d previously thought.
We completely appreciate that roadworks are disruptive and would like to thank everyone in the area for their patience and understanding. In the project area, there have been 10 mains burst over the last three years – by completing this work, we hope to make emergency roadworks much less likely in the future.
The second phase of the project is expected to begin in the new year, but no dates have been provided.
This scheme is one of 21 planned across North Yorkshire in the first year of Yorkshire Water’s mains investment project, totalling over 90km of pipework being replaced.
You can read about the Wetherby Road roadworks here.
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