Subscribe to trusted local news
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
23
May
‘Untrue and unfounded’: Government hits back at councillor’s Kex Gill claims
The Department for Transport has hit back at claims by North Yorkshire’s transport chief that its “bad management” is to blame for the spiralling cost of the A59 Kex Gill road realignment.
The cost of the four-kilometre road realignment has rocketed by £13.7 million from £68.8 million to £82.5 million due to four compensation claims by contractors and consultants against North Yorkshire Council, which is responsible for the project.
Local council tax payers will have to foot the bill because under the terms of the contract, the Department for Transport provided a fixed sum of £56.1 million and any extra costs fall on the council.
Councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways at North Yorkshire Council, this week said the largest compensation claim so far was due to the late award of funding from the DfT, which delayed work commencing
He added:
That delay alone cost us almost £2.5 million. I hope that colleagues would reasonably conclude that this is bad luck on our part and bad management on the part of central government.
But the DfT denied the claim by Cllr Duncan, whose resignation was called for by Liberal Democrats on the council this week.
A DfT spokesperson said his allegations of delays and mismanagement were unfounded. They added:
These claims are untrue – all road schemes go through a rigorous review and assessment process at the business case stage, to ensure any funding awarded achieves value for money for taxpayers.
They added it was the responsibility of the council to deliver and manage this scheme.
(Left to right) Council leader Carl Les, Richard Holden, the roads minister at the time and Cllr Keane Duncan mark the start of work at Kex Gill in February 2023.
Cllr Duncan has warned the cost of Kex Gill is likely to increase further due to further compensation claims by contractors. A weather delay, for instance, could lead to another claim.
The council has consequently increased its risk contingency funding but has not disclosed the sum.
The new road is due to be completed in June next year before another nine months is spent returning the current road to moorland.
What is the Kex Gill scheme?
Council contractors John Sisk & Son are realigning four kilometres of the A59 at Kex Gill after the area suffered 15 landslips in two decades. According to the council, they have cost about £6 million to repair.
The council’s contribution has increased from £12.7 million to £26.4 million following the compensation claims.
Construction work, which began in February 2023, is taking place on a 27.8 hectare working site.
It involves creating 12 new structures including two underpasses, walls and culverts, 4 km of bridleways, 7 km of dry stone walls, 9 km of drainage, the diversion of Hall Beck, planting 12,000 trees and shrubs, 12 km of utility diversions and reverting the existing A59 back to moorland.
Work to build the new road was supposed to take 113 weeks from January 2023 to March 2025. But the finish date has been put back to June 2026.
Once the new road is built, contractors will undertake a second phase of work decommissioning the existing A59 and turning it back to moorland, which is not now due to finish until March 2027.
3