Roadworks on a busy Knaresborough road have again been extended.

Northern Gas Networks is carrying out exploratory work to divert underground infrastructure at the railway bridge on Halfpenny Lane.

Work started on March 25 and was due to end in April but was extended until next week, May 17.

Northern Gas Networks, which is responsible for gas supply, said today work has been further delayed for six weeks, which means it is likely to continue for most of June.

The closure extending from the bridge to the roundabout next to Old Penny Gate will remain in place until additional works are complete and a signed diversion is in place.

Dominic Nevison, site manager at Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We have been working with other utilities to carefully plan this work to minimise the impact on road users and members of the public.

“Upon completion of our exploratory work we had originally planned to divert the sewer in the affected area of where our pipe is located. Unfortunately, this cannot be done due to the complexity of the work involved.

“We will therefore we need to divert the medium pressure gas main; this means that the work will need to continue and we are expecting this to take approximately six weeks to compete.

“We apologise for inconvenience caused and would like to reassure everyone that we will be working hard to complete the work so that we can reopen the road as soon as possible.”

The company said there would be no impact on the gas supplies to homes and businesses in the area.

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Northern Gas Networks has apologised after residents complained about ongoing roadworks in Pannal.

The company started utility repairs and maintenance work on the A61 Leeds Road near to the traffic lights at the junction with Follifoot Road two weeks ago.

The work includes temporary traffic lights in both directions on the A61 and on Station Road and Follifoot Road.

Residents and the local councillor, John Mann, said the work had led to long queues on Leeds Road in both directions, congestion and rat running, particularly during rush hour times.

The Stray Ferret took the concerns over the disruption to the company.

In response, Mark Mawhood, operations manager for Northern Gas Networks, said: 

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused during these essential works. However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Pannal.”

Mr Mawhood added that the company expects the work to be completed by Sunday, May 12.

The move comes after Cllr Mann described the work as leaving residents feeling “hemmed in” and “isolated”.

He also pointed to ongoing work by Yorkshire Water on Spring Lane, which he said had caused a “near perfect storm” of roadworks.

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Residents in Pannal feel “hemmed in” and “isolated” as a result of ongoing roadworks in the area, says the local councillor.

Northern Gas Networks started utility repairs and maintenance work on the A61 Leeds Road near to the traffic lights at the junction with Follifoot Road two weeks ago.

The work, which is due to continue until May 13, includes temporary traffic lights in both directions on the A61 and on Station Road and Follifoot Road.

Cllr John Mann, a Conservative who represents the area on North Yorkshire Council, said the work had led to long queues on Leeds Road in both directions, congestion and rat running, particularly during rush hour times.

He also pointed to ongoing work by Yorkshire Water on Spring Lane, which he said had caused a “near perfect storm” of roadworks.

Cllr Mann said:

“Local residents feel hemmed in and slightly isolated at the moment.

“I have contacted the highways team at North Yorkshire Council and have called for urgent steps to be taken to reduce the effect on traffic, especially in the rush-hour and at school drop off and pick up times.”

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Cllr Mann, along with local resident Brian Dunsby, have both contacted Northern Gas Networks over the matter and urged them to put measures in place to reduce queuing, congestion and rat running.

Cllr Mann added that the utility company had agreed to manually operate the lights and to reduce the temporary lights at the top of Church Lane to a two-way operation.

The Stray Ferret put the concerns over the works in Pannal to Northern Gas Networks, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

The move comes as the company has started further work on Leadhall Lane in Harrogate.

Temporary lights are due to be in place until 7th May as Northern Gas Networks carries out “essential work to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas”.

Northern Gas Networks said:

“Ageing metal pipework is being upgraded to ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas. Two-way temporary traffic lights are now currently in place on the junction of Leadhall Lane, Church Lane and Green Lane. These will be in place until Tuesday May 7 at the latest. Once this phase is complete, our work will continue down Leadhall Lane towards Leeds Road. It will be necessary to use two way rolling traffic lights whilst this stretch of work is completed.”

Mark Mawhood, operations manager for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works. However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Harrogate. We want to assure residents and road users that we will be working hard to complete this essential scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, the company is also carrying out repair work on Halfpenny Lane in Knaresborough. The work, which includes a road closure, is due to be completed by May 5.

Drivers face delays in Pannal after four weeks of gasworks got underway.

Northern Gas Networks is carrying out utility repairs and maintenance work on the A61 Leeds Road near to the traffic lights at the junction with Follifoot Road.

Temporary traffic lights are in place in both directions on the A61 and on Station Road and Follifoot Road.

The work has caused delays for motorists during rush hour, with queues backing up to Fulwith Mill Lane in Harrogate.

Northern Gas Networks said the work is due to end on May 13.

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Road works on a busy Knaresborough road have been extended.

Northern Gas Networks is carrying out exploratory work to divert underground infrastructure at the railway bridge on Halfpenny Lane.

Roadworks started on March 25 and were due to end yesterday (April 12) but the work has been delayed.

The live incident map  says work is now due to end on May 17, although Northern Gas Networks has not given a definitive end date.

The closure extending from the bridge to the roundabout next to Old Penny Gate, will remain closed until additional works are complete and a signed diversion is in place.

Dominic Nevison, site manager at Northern Gas Networks said:

“We are working with other utilities to carefully plan this work to minimise the impact on road users and members of the public. The road diversion will remain in place while we carry out our initial assessment and subsequent work.”

“We apologise for inconvenience caused and would like to reassure everyone that we will be working hard to complete the work so that we can reopen the road as soon as possible.”

Northern Gas Networks added there was no impact on gas supplies to homes and businesses in the area.

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Sharow Lane, a main route from the village into Ripon, will close for three weeks from next week.

According to North Yorkshire Council’s roadworks map, the road closure will be in place “all the time” during the three-week period, as Northern Gas Networks carries out a “gas main replacement”.

The firm told the Stray Ferret the work is to “ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas to customers”.

A spokesperson added:

“Four-way temporary traffic lights are currently in place on the junction of North Road/River View Road/Magdalens Road and will be in situ until the end of next week (week commencing April 8).

“A road closure will be implemented on Sharow Lane for three weeks from Monday April 8 and a diversion route will be clearly signed.”

Sharow Lane

Northern Gas Networks also said for the duration of the road closure, traffic will be diverted through Ripon city centre, along North Street, North Road and Bondgate Green.

Mark Mawhood, operations manager for the company, added:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works. However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Ripon.

“We want to assure residents and road users that we will be working hard to complete this essential scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.”

The work will last from Monday, April 8, until Friday, April 26.

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The completion of seven weeks of roadworks in Harrogate town centre has been delayed, Northern Gas Networks has said.

The company has been replacing metal pipes with plastic pipes on some of the main routes, including Parliament Street, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road.

The project was due to end yesterday but Mark Mawhood, operations manager for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“I can confirm that the extensive work taking place in Harrogate will be completed this week.

“We will however need to return to complete a small section of the network, which due to some operational challenges could not be completed in the timeframe. The planning team is currently working on dates for when this work will be caried out and we will then notify the public and media once this is scheduled.

“We apologise for inconvenience caused during these works, and we thank the public for their patience during this large-scale scheme.”

The roadworks are the second phase of delayed works  that were “paused” a year ago.

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Four-way traffic lights on Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate are set to remain in place for two weeks.

Northern Gas Networks put the lights in place today near to the Jubilee roundabout as part of gas works in the area.

It has caused lengthy delays for traffic heading in and around Harrogate today.

The works are part of a mains replacement project that has been completed in phases since earlier this year, and planned in collaboration with North Yorkshire Council.

It involves replacing the old metallic mains with new plastic pipe to ensure gas supply to the area of Harrogate.

Dave Smales, site manager at Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We introduced the four-way temporary lights today in order to protect our engineers due to the depth and location of the main under the road.

“Its location near the roundabout meant that instead of being able to work in the verge, we required a deep excavation with fencing protection in the carriageway.

“The lights will stay in position for two weeks and will then be removed before work moves to the other side of the roundabout.

“We don’t currently expect that section to require traffic management for us to complete, however we will have to assess the depth of the main once we’ve dug down.

“We’d like to apologise to customers and road users for any inconvenience experienced during these works, however they are essential to maintaining a safe and reliable gas supply to this part of the town.

“We’re working as safely and quickly as we can to complete this project as soon as possible.”

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