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21
Aug
Kex Gill bypass to open on Monday night
The main section of the A59 Kex Gill bypass will open next week, North Yorkshire Council said today (August 21).
The council said the final sections of asphalt surfacing, safety barriers, road markings, reflective cat's eyes and verge topsoiling have almost been completed and “all being well, the majority of the road will open early next week”.
It added:
To avoid a full diversion while traffic is transferred from the existing carriageway onto the new road, there will be a short closure of approximately 10 minutes overnight on Monday (24 August) and into Tuesday, when traffic levels are at their lowest. This will allow the site team to safely reposition the traffic management and reopen the route on the new carriageway shortly afterwards.
But work on the eastern and western tie-ins, as well as the reconstruction of Church Hill, will continue under temporary traffic lights until October.
The £82.5 million transport scheme, the biggest ever undertaken by North Yorkshire Council, will see 4.8 kilometres of new road constructed in the landslip-prone area.
The new road, a key trans-Pennine route between Harrogate and Skipton, was originally due to open in May 2025 at a cost of £68.8 million.
But the date was pushed back due to adverse winter weather and the cost rose by £13.7 million.
Just under 10,000 vehicles use this section of the A59 each day on average.
Explaining why road closure in Askwith and at Church Hill in Blubberhouses have occurred at the same time, the council said:
“The Yorkshire Water and A59 Kex Gill works have overlapped, causing disruption for residents and road users. Delays caused by difficult ground conditions have extended Yorkshire Water's programme, although work was prioritised near the school during the summer holidays to minimise impact. Both projects are essential, and efforts are being made to complete them as quickly as possible.”
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