Read more:
North Yorkshire Council highway engineers and other workmen have been out in force in Ripon city centre today.
Engineers started three days of trial works to discover what exactly lies beneath the surface of the Market Place East and West roads.
Meanwhile, a council colleague was eradicating weeds and grass around the base of the obelisk and poking out of the joints between the paving sets on the southern half of Market Square.
He told the Stray Ferret the environmentally friendly means being used to rid the monument and square of unsightly growths is a combination of potato starch and steam, previously used for weed clearance in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.
The trial works began on Market Place East this morning.
Deeper down under the cracked and uneven block paving roads adjacent to Market Square, engineers are carrying out tests to find out more about their foundations, so that a scheme can be drawn up for comprehensive tarmac resurfacing costing £630,000 works to go ahead next October.
The trial work is scheduled to last until Wednesday and while it is ongoing each road will be kept open but reduced to a single lane, meaning traffic disruption and delays are likely.
North Yorkshire Council said in a statement:
“Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout and on-site personnel will assist in managing access to properties and businesses within the works area.”
Main picture: A council workman uses starch and steam to clear weeds on Market Square South.
Read more:
Three days of roadworks in Ripon city centre begin on Monday
North Yorkshire Council highway engineers will be carrying out trial roadworks along both Market Place East and Market Place West in Ripon next week.
When ongoing, between Monday and Wednesday, each road will be kept open but reduced to a single lane, meaning traffic disruption and delays are inevitable.
The work follows last week’s news that £630,000 has been allocated for a comprehensive tarmac resurfacing of both roads to be carried out next October.
North Yorkshire Council said in a statement:
“Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout and on-site personnel will assist in managing access to properties and businesses within the works area.”
Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council and a members of the Conservative and Independents Group on North Yorkshire Council, where he represents the Minster and Moorside Division, told the Stray Ferret:
“There will be some disruption, but the works are necessary, to enable the engineers to design a scheme that will provide a lasting solution to the problems and potential risks that pedestrians, motorists and cyclists have experienced over many years, after the previous tarmacked surface was replaced with block sets that did not have adequate foundations.”
Picture: Market Place East and West roads will be reduced to a single lane while work is on-going
Read more:
Decision day approaches for £630,000 Ripon city centre resurfacing scheme
Ripon will discover later this week if a £630,000 road resurfacing scheme will be included in North Yorkshire Council’s capital funding programme for delivery next year.
City councillors have been calling for many years for the sets of paving blocks on Market Place East and Market Place West, which have become damaged and uneven, to be removed and replaced with a tarmac surface.
At last night’s full city council meeting, leader Andrew Williams, told members:
“The North Yorkshire highways team is preparing designs in anticipation of allocated funds to resurface areas of the road network surrounding Market Square.
“It is being considered for funding as part of the wider capital funding programme and if approved will see a scheme delivered next October.”
Tarmac patches have been put in place on some of the worst affected areas of the city centre roads.
Cllr Williams, who represents the Minster and Moorside division on North Yorkshire Council and is a member of the the Conservative and Independent Group, added:
“I’ve been in regular communication with the highways team about the proposed scheme and the process is going to take a little longer than hoped for and will cost more than initially anticipated.
“This is due to the fact that site investigations carried out by highways engineers, showed that the sub core under Market Place East is sand and every time it rains the road surface moves.”
The need to put new foundations in place before the new tarmac surface can be laid has seen the projected cost for the scheme rise from £500,000 to £630.000.
North Yorkshire Council has confirmed that in preparation for the proposed scheme, necessary site investigations have already started and will commence further later this month.
This will involve road closures on separate days of Market Place East and Market Place West and a traffic management plan associated with the works will be communicated to the local stakeholders and the public, once dates are finalised with the contractors.
Both Market Place East (main picture) and Market Place West will be resurfaced next autumn if the scheme receives the go-ahead.