Skipton Road: emergency roadworks cause more misery

Long queues are forming on Skipton Road as two sets of roadworks are combining to cause misery for drivers.

Works to replace a gas main underneath Roberts Crescent were already in place but Northern Gas Networks has also started repairs to fix a gas leak on Skipton Road.

It has set up three-way temporary lights on the junction opposite Bilton Lane, which is in between the junctions at both ends of Roberts Crescent.

Temporary traffic lights on Skipton Road, Harrogate.

Temporary traffic lights on Skipton Road, Harrogate

Northern Gas Networks said works on Roberts Crescent are expected to last until May 25, while those on Skipton Road should be complete in “no more than three weeks”.

Footpath closed on Roberts Crescent, off Skipton Road.

The footpath is closed on Roberts Crescent, off Skipton Road

On Twitter, the company apologised for the disruption and urged motorists to use other routes.

The emergency repair will last for no more than three weeks. We apologise for the disruption the work will cause and ask drivers to avoid the area if they can or leave extra time for journeys. Call our Customer Care Team for more info: 0800 040 7766 (opt 3).

— NorthernGasNetworks (@NGNgas) May 12, 2021

Skipton Road is one of the busiest roads in the town.

Northern Gas Networks began work replacing metal pipes with plastic ones in July last year, which was paused in October and recommenced in January. The roadworks were finally finished in April.

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30-minute delays at A61 Wormald Green roadworks

Three-way traffic lights on the A61 near Wormald Green are bringing misery to motorists, with reports of delays of up to 30 minutes this morning.

Northern Powergrid installed the lights to allow engineers to repair a fault to the underground power network that supplies nearby homes.

The lights are near Monkton Moor Garage on the A61 and there is no easy diversion for traffic heading into Harrogate or in the opposite direction to Ripon.

A Northern Powergrid spokesperson apologised for this morning’s delays and said it will be putting someone on site tomorrow from 7am-7pm to improve the traffic flow at the lights.

The Stray Ferret received several calls about the roadworks this morning for our live traffic blog. Some motorists were stuck in jams for 30 minutes and consequently were late for work.

The delays have been ongoing since 7am this morning and although they peaked during rush hour, traffic has remained heavy all day and is likely to build up this afternoon as people head home.

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North Yorkshire County Council‘s roadwork map shows the work is ongoing until Friday next week but Northern Powergrid said it hoped to complete the project sooner.

The spokeswoman said:

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience whilst we carry out these unplanned emergency works, the repair is being treated as urgent and as soon as our work is completed the traffic lights will be removed to allow traffic to return to normal.”

Contact the Stray Ferret, if it is safe to do so, from 6am each weekday on 01423 276197 with any traffic and travel updates.

Rural roadworks in North Yorkshire suffer £13m axe

Concerns have been raised for North Yorkshire’s rural economy after £13 million of planned roadworks were dropped due to government funding cuts.

North Yorkshire County Council confirmed “a long list” of road repair schemes and projects to prevent highways from deteriorating across its 9,200km road network has been postponed.

It blamed this on receiving less government funding than expected when it set this year’s roadworks programme.

The cuts come as £1 million is being spent on active travel plans in Harrogate, including new cycle lanes and initiatives to encourage walking.

Meanwhile, £7.9 million has been secured from government for the town’s Station Gateway project, which could include the pedestrianisation of James Street and a single lane on Station Parade.

Kex Gill goes ahead

Government spending on major road schemes remains intact, meaning the £500 million on creating a final stretch of dual carriageway on the A66 between the M6 and Scotch Corner and £56 million on re-routing the A59 around a landslip-prone area at Kex Gill will go ahead.

But some smaller road maintenance projects will be shelved.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the authority’s finance boss and deputy leader, said this would hit rural businesses and the impact of the cuts would disproportionately impact on North Yorkshire’s economy.

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He said:

“The highway network is a the most important asset in rural area like North Yorkshire in terms of supporting the economy. The effect on the economy of North Yorkshire with a highways cut is far more severe than in a more urban city centre.

“It’s just a bit of a rural disconnect. With the best will in the world, highways have got to be, in terms of the economy, our biggest priority. We can’t just let them go into disrepair.

“I don’t believe this is signalling a further wave of austerity, as there is money being put into other priorities, such as meeting the government’s carbon cutting focus, but it’s also important that rural needs continue to be met. If we can bring home devolution in the quickest possible time, then local priorities such as highways can be addressed.”

Hopeful of attracting more funds

Cllr Dadd said the authority had battled for decades to try and maintain roads, with some success compared to other parts of the country.

He added the council’s determination to maintain roads was displayed by the amount of resources it spent on winter maintenance.

He said:

“We grit and treat more than anywhere else in the country in percentage and quantum terms. That’s a great achievement given austerity.”

The council’s highways boss Cllr Don Mackenzie said he remained hopeful the council would attract additional funding for highways repairs later this year.

He said the authority consistently tried to reduce future repair bills by operating a policy of good maintenance. He said:

“If you maintain roads well now you reduce repair bills in the future. That’s the position we try to keep ourselves in.”

In response, Thirsk and Malton Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake said Cllr Dadd had raised “a very good point”, which he would raise with his neighbouring constituency MP and Chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

Twelve more weeks of road closures for Harlow Hill

Residents on Harlow Hill in Harrogate face another 12 weeks of roadworks as water supplies are connected to new housing developments on Whinney Lane.

Yorkshire Water began the work last week and, on Monday, wrote to residents telling them the rolling project will last into May.

Beginning from Otley Road, crews will install new pipes along roads through to Whinney Lane, expecting to complete the project around May 7.

Work on Whinney Lane itself is set to last for nine weeks from March 1. It follows news that the existing seven-month closure, being carried out as part of construction work for homes at Castle Hill Farm, will likely over-run beyond its predicted February 28 end because of recent bad weather.

David Siddans, of Harrogate and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association (HAPARA), said:

“A major concern is that extremely short notice of this work was given to residents with a letter received a day or so after work began in the Pannal Ash roundabout area.

“The residents of Whinney Lane in particular have had to suffer ongoing disruption and roadworks since the Mulgrave development of 40 houses began over a year ago.”

The Yorkshire Water work is set to be completed in phases. Harlow Crescent, Beckwith Avenue, Beckwith Walk, Beckwith Crescent and Beckwith Road will all be affected for between two and four weeks, in short stretches along each road.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“The work taking place from Otley Road to Whinney Lane is essential to support new housing developments in the area and also to increase resilience on our clean water network during periods of peak demand.

“We know that road closures can be inconvenient and our teams may occasionally need to work during evenings and weekends – but we’ll do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum and complete the work as quickly as possible.

“In order to carry out this work safely, we’ll need to close short sections of road whilst we’re working in the highway. These closures will move as our work progresses and access will be available for residents either side of our works – however, there’ll be no vehicular access through the working area.”

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With a second construction site by Stonebridge already in progress and around 700 more homes and business premises set to be built on a neighbouring site under the local plan, along with more homes already constructed along nearby Otley Road, Mr Siddans said HAPARA was “extremely concerned” about the inevitable further disruption.

“We are well aware of the huge infrastructure implications of this planned massive urban expansion which involves not only utilities services but also, critically, transport infrastructure.

“HAPARA is part of the Western Arc Coordination Group which is lobbying the county and district councils for a comprehensive set of measures to accompany housing developments.”

Overnight closures planned for A1 junction 47 upgrade

A series of overnight closures, beginning this month, will affect motorists using junction 47 of the A1 (M).

A £7.7m North Yorkshire County Council project to upgrade the junction, near Flaxby, began in September and is due to continue until autumn.

Slip roads from the A1 (M) will be closed for four weeks from 8pm to 6am Mondays to Fridays, beginning on January 25.

The council, which gave the update today, said not all slip roads will be affected at the same time.

The upgrade will ease congestion, improve road safety and support the development of local towns, such as Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The council said the number of housing developments in the area also increased the need for these works to improve connections across the county.

Three of the roundabout’s four slip roads will be widened to increase capacity and traffic lights will be installed.

Following completion of this work, the upgrading of the A59/A168 slip road will necessitate a full closure of the slip road.

This could be in place for up to 16 weeks, but the council said “every effort will be made to minimise the duration of the work”.

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County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access and member for Harrogate Saltergate, said:

“At busy times, congestion is an issue at this junction, particularly for traffic coming off the southbound carriageway of the A1.

“We understand that the closures will cause inconvenience and necessitate significant diversions for some drivers. Our contractor will do everything they can to ensure closures are as short as possible.

“We apologise for the disruption and thank drivers in advance for their patience during what will be short-term inconvenience for long-term improvement to traffic flow.”

The £7.7 million project has received £2.47 million of funding from the governments’s Local Growth Fund, plus contributions from the county council, Highways England and Harrogate-based developer Forward Investment LLP.

Ripon road closure to last six weeks

A six-week road closure affecting the circulation of traffic around Ripon city centre is now in place after being delayed over Christmas.

Workers are back on site just a month after an initial closure of the junction of Market Place East with Kirkgate, lasting two weeks.

Sewer repairs being carried out by contractors on behalf of Yorkshire Water were suspended in early December to minimise disruption to Christmas trade in the city.

The suspension also followed complaints from members of the public on social media, saying that a temporary building site with fencing and cabins on it had blocked the view of the Christmas tree in front of Ripon Town Hall.

Photo of 36 bus leaving Ripon Bus Station

The unfamiliar sight of a 36 bus heading in this direction out of Ripon Bus Station on its diverted route to Harrogate.

Complainants also said at the time that the placement of temporary buildings on Market Square detracted from the look of the city’s festive lights, which had been extended at an additional cost of £65,000.

The new six-week road closure is required so that urgent sewer repair and renewal works can be carried out.

With the road closure preventing traffic from turning right from Market Place East onto Market Place South, the circulatory route around Market Square is affected and a number of diversions are in place.

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Among traffic movements impacted by the closure is Transdev’s regular double decker 36 bus service to Harrogate.

To ensure that all bus stops in Ripon are served, drivers are using a circuitous route that takes in Allhallowgate, Stonebridgegate, Rotary Way and the Ripon bypass, with a right turn at the Wolseley building roundabout seeing the bus head back towards the city centre before the onward journey to Harrogate.

As Market Place West is not affected by road closures, the route into Ripon Bus Station up High Skellgate and along by the Obelisk currently remains unchanged.

Harrogate’s Otley Road set for two sets of roadworks at same time

Delays are expected on Otley Road in Harrogate next month, with two sets of roadworks set to take place at the same time.

The news comes shortly after it was revealed Skipton Road, which has been plagued by roadworks in 2020, will see more work carried out for two months from January 4.

The first set of newly announced roadworks, due to start on January 5 for five weeks, will allow Yorkshire Water to lay new pipes between Wharfedale Avenue and College Road.

Yorkshire Water said in a statement the works would accommodate new housing developments in Harrogate and address low pressure issues.

Northern Powergrid is then expected to begin 11 weeks of work on January 11. This scheme is part of a programme to relocate utilities so its highways team can carry out improvements at the Otley Road/Harlow Moor Road junction .

Once this work is completed, the highways team will commence phase one of the junction upgrade and cycleway from Harlow Moor Road to Arthurs Avenue.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for highways and approved the works, said those involved would try to keep disruption to a minimum.

Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said:

“It is hoped that work can take place at the same time with co-ordinated traffic management, which will reduce the overall impact. If this does not prove feasible then the works will take place consecutively.

“The traffic management will be continuously monitored and manually controlled during peak times each day. We are committed to keeping disruption to a minimum.”

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More roadworks are planned the other end of the town, on Knaresborough Road. They are due to begin on January 4 from the junction with Granby Road to Rydal Road, and continue until the end of February.

They are taking place to allow a new water pipe to be installed. Junctions along Knaresborough Road will be closed separately for short periods, with diversions put in place.

Skipton Road misery continues with return of gas works

The dreaded Skipton Road gas works will return next month bringing more misery for motorists in Harrogate.

Northern Gas Networks started work in July to replace just under a kilometre of decades old metal gas pipes with plastic.

Many months on with no end in sight North Yorkshire County Council told the gas distributor to pause the works in October.

However, the works will restart on January 4 and are due to finish on March 5. It will cover the stretch of road from the fire station to the junction with Regent Avenue.

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A diversion will be in place but previously there has been a lot of traffic in the area with a four-way traffic system.

That four-way system will be replaced by a two-way system when it returns next month.

Most of the work will be done in the street and engineers will follow safe distance working rules of at least two metres where possible.

Russ Kaye, the business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works.

“It is vital we now complete this postponed project as soon as possible in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply.

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

It was painful for drivers in the area who had been forced to sit in traffic but it was worse for Bilton Working Men’s Club.

The club even filed a claim against Northern Gas Networks for loss of earnings caused by the long-running roadworks.

When will Skipton Road traffic misery end?

They were supposed to have moved three weeks ago, but the four-way traffic lights on one of Harrogate’s busiest roads are still bringing daily misery to hundreds of motorists.

Northern Gas Networks began work replacing metal pipes with plastic pipes beneath Skipton Road on July 13.

The project has required two sets of traffic lights on Skipton Road, plus lights on the adjoining King’s Road and Woodfield Road.

On September 18, Chris Reed, site manager at NGN, apologised for any inconvenience caused by the delayed project and assured the Stray Ferret the four-way lights would be replaced by two-way lights the following day as the project moved further along Skipton Road.

But since then the four-way lights have remained.

Besides delaying motorists, the lights have blighted the lives of residents and business.

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Bilton Working Men’s Club on Skipton Road has filed a claim for loss of earnings against NGN.

The Stray Ferret asked NGN if it could finally say when the four-way lights would be removed.

But Richard White, the company’s business operations lead, was unable to give a date.

Mr White said NGN was now resurfacing the Skipton Road end of King’s Road. He added:

“This is a major, complex project, involving the removal of a number of ageing metal gas pipes some of which are 70 or 80-years-old.”

He said completion of the entire project “remains on schedule for the end of November”. But no date before then for the end of the four-way lights was given.

Bilton club claims loss of earnings for roadworks

Bilton Working Men’s Club is filing a claim for loss of earnings caused by the long-running roadworks outside its premises on Skipton Road.

Northern Gas Networks began work replacing metal pipes with plastic pipes beneath the road on 13 July.

Four-way traffic lights in the area have caused tailbacks not only on Skipton Road but also on adjoining King’s Road and Woodfield Road.

Alan Huddart, the club treasurer, said the work had made it more difficult for people to get to the club, which reopened after lockdown on 4 July, and some had assumed it was closed. Mr Huddart added:

“We have received a compensation pack and will be submitting a claim. The roadworks have had a dire impact.

“They’ve probably reduced our takings by 20 per cent.”

The roadworks immediately outside Bilton Working Men’s Club.

Chris Reed, site manager at Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We want to apologise to Bilton Working Men’s Club for any impact that our works have had as the project progresses. We will work with them to resolve any compensation claim.”

Mr Reed said the project had been delayed because the old pipes, some of which were 70 years old, were deeper than the plans indicated.

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The roadworks are now expected to finish by the end of November but the worst delays could be over.

Richard White, business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“The temporary traffic lights have been removed at the junctions of Skipton Road with Woodfield Road, and of Skipton Road with King’s Road.

“There are two-way traffic lights still in place on Skipton Road, and these are now away from the junction and are near Jewson builders’ merchants. We expect these two-way, and three-way temporary traffic lights at junctions with side roads, to move along Skipton Road as the project progresses.”