Kex Gill cost concerns raised in Parliament todayCouncil sets completion timeframe for A59 Kex Gill repairsCouncil confirms A59 Kex Gill will reopen at 6am tomorrowCouncil could compulsory purchase 90 acres of land for £60m Kex Gill road

North Yorkshire County Council is in discussions with landowners to purchase 90 acres of land earmarked for a major £60 million reroute of the A59 at Kex Gill.

A diversion is planned west of Blubberhouses on the A59 at Kex Gill, which has been blighted by a history of landslides and a recent “instability issue” which cost the council £1.4 million.

The council needs to acquire the land before it can begin construction on the scheme.

Council officials said negotiations were ongoing with landowners to reach an agreement on the price of the land, rather than acquire it by a compulsory purchase order.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council how much money has been set aside for the project.

Barrie Mason, assistant director for highway and transportation at the county council, said:

“The Compulsory Purchase Orders and the Side Roads Order recently published for the A59 Kex Gill are a routine part of the process of delivering the scheme.

“Where the CPO relates to land purchase, this is being carried out alongside negotiations with landowners aimed at reaching an agreed, rather than compulsory, purchase.

“We have estimated the likely cost of land purchase, but as negotiations are ongoing it would be inappropriate to disclose these figures now, as that could prejudice those negotiations. We will, of course, make this information public once negotiations are concluded.”

The council has outlined the 90 acres of land it intends to purchase in internal documents.

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Included in the scheme is land off the A59 at Blubberhouse Moor between North Moor Road and Hall Lane, land at Hall Farm and land to the east at Hall Beck. 

Agricultural land along the A59 up to Church Hill is also outlined in the scheme. Woodland east of Hall Lane and west of the River Washburn would also be acquired.

The existing road also passes through an area designated as Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Most of the land earmarked for purchase is woodland or agricultural land.

The authority said any compulsory purchase would be used as a last resort. But the project could be delayed by a further 15 months if an objection is lodged against a compulsory purchase order.

Such an objection would lead to a public inquiry.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, told a full council meeting last month:

“The compulsory purchase and side roads orders have been published with a formal consultation period until the end of August.

“The project programme without a public inquiry indicates that construction could start this autumn. On the other hand, if a public inquiry is required, the start of works could be delayed by up to 15 months.”

A59 Kex Gill ‘instability issue’ cost council £1.4 million

An instability problem on the A59 at Kex Gill has cost North Yorkshire County Council £1.42 million, according to a report published by the authority.

Multiple incidents including landslides over the last 10 years has seen authority officials intervene to fix the road.

According to recently published county council documents, the cost to taxpayers for the road has been “increasing over the last ten-year period”.

But an instability issue in May 2018 caused road closures for several months, which council officials say led to a “complex repair scheme” being carried out.

Barrie Mason, assistant director highways and transportation at the authority, said:

“The £1.42 million cost and the ‘latest instability issue’ relates to the complex repair scheme that we implemented in 2018 when we closed the road on 30 May that year, after movement was detected in the carriageway.

“We had to carry out a two-phase repair involving rock anchors, which saw the road closed until 8 July 2018 and then operate under temporary signals until the end of March 2019 followed by a week-long closure in May 2019 for the final surfacing to be completed.”

Meanwhile, between October 2000 and May 2019, five landslides were recorded at the site and the retaining wall failed four times.

In January 2016, the road was closed for eight weeks and traffic diverted through Ilkley and Otley after heavy rain caused a landslide.

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The report, which was published to support the council’s compulsory purchase orders for land at Kex Gill as part of a £60 million diversion project, said:

“There is a long history of landslips on the land above the A59 at Kex Gill. These landslips deposit material onto the road leading to closures of the A59. 

“The financial cost of intervention for the authority and the disruption to users of the route has been increasing over the last ten-year period and the risks of earthwork failures have slowly been shifting from a slope stabilisation risk to a global stability risk of the carriageway itself.”

It comes as the county council is pressing ahead with a £60 million project to create a diversion west of Blubberhouses at Kex Gill.

The project would take a year to complete and could start in autumn this year.

Authority officials are currently in the process of procuring a contractor to start work on the project.

However, this could be delayed by 15 months if a public inquiry is called.

Such as hearing could be held if an objection is lodged to the council’s compulsory purchase orders

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, told a full council meeting last month:

“The compulsory purchase and side roads orders have been published with a formal consultation period until the end of August.

“The project programme without a public inquiry indicates that construction could start this autumn. On the other hand, if a public inquiry is required, the start of works could be delayed by up to 15 months.”

Public inquiry could delay £60m Kex Gill scheme by 15 months

A major project to realign the A59 near Kex Gill could be delayed by 15 months if a public inquiry is called.

The £60 million North Yorkshire County Council scheme will see a section of new road built between Harrogate and Skipton to divert traffic away from the landslip-prone part of the route.

This current road has a history of unsafe driving conditions and delayed journeys, as well as high maintenance costs.

Work on the project could start as early as this autumn. Earlier this year, the government declined to have a final say on the scheme, clearing the way for it to begin.

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However, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, has said the project could face delays if objections are lodged against the compulsory purchase orders required for the scheme.

In a statement expected to be made to a full council meeting next week, he will say:

“The compulsory purchase and side roads orders have been published with a formal consultation period until the end of August. 

“The project programme without a public inquiry indicates that construction could start this autumn. On the other hand, if a public inquiry is required, the start of works could be delayed by up to 15 months.”

Construction work on the project is expected to take 18 months.

The government has committed up to £56 million in funding for the Kex Gill project, with the county council covering the remainder of the cost.

More than half-a-million pounds is also to be given to Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for environmental and tree planting project in an effort to offset “irreversible damage” of the project.

Contractors invited to bid for £60 million Kex Gill works

Contractors have been invited to bid to take on the works for the £60 million A59 Kex Gill scheme.

The North Yorkshire County Council highways project will see a section of the road between Harrogate and Skipton realigned.

The new road, which is expected to take a year to complete, will divert traffic away from the landslip-prone part of the A59 route.

This section has a history of causing unsafe driving conditions and delayed journeys, as well as high maintenance costs

Work on the project could start as early as this autumn. Earlier this year, the government declined to have a final say on the scheme, clearing the way for it to begin.

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Now, contractors have been invited to tender for the works.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council said:

“We are pushing forward with this scheme to provide a safe, reliable route for residents, businesses and visitors.

“This stretch of road has experienced closures in recent years because of land slips. These have disrupted travel, enforced long diversions and been costly. The realignment of the route will provide much better connectivity for all road users.”

Cllr Stanley Lumley, member for Pateley Bridge division, said: 

“This is another step towards the delivery of this long-anticipated scheme. Locals, commuters and visitors will all benefit from enhanced safety and reliability of the road. We look forward to work beginning.”