Repair work finally to begin at Kex Gill on key A59 route used by Harrogate motorists
Work is due to start today to reopen a troubled stretch of a key route in North Yorkshire which has a history of landslips with 15 incidents recorded since 2000.
After being closed – again - from New Year’s Day following heavy rain which caused yet another landslip, motorists have been forced to take a detour at Kex Gill on the A59 for the last fortnight.
The A59 is a key link for North Yorkshire and a £68.9 million, 4km long, road realignment project is currently taking place due to the long history of landslips which has caused long diversions for motorists and extra costs for North Yorkshire Council over the years.
The council and its highways company, NY Highways, have now appointed a Harrogate-based contractor, HACS, to carry out the repair work at this stretch of road on the way to Skipton near Blubberhouses.
The work is scheduled to start today, Thursday, January 16 and hopes are high that this important road will be re-opened by the end of this month.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation, Coun Keane Duncan, said: “I’d like to thank road users for their patience.
"I am pleased to confirm that work to repair the A59 at Kex Gill will begin tomorrow following the landslip on New Year’s Day.
“Recent snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, unfortunately, impacted the works, so I know it will be very welcome news that these can now safely commence.
"Our team is working to complete the works and reopen the road as quickly as possible, which we anticipate will be on January 29.
“The situation, once again, emphasises the importance of delivering our £68 million project to bypass this problematic stretch.
“We expect this realignment scheme, our most ambitious ever, to be completed next year.”
The repairs alone are in themselves a major undertaking.
The work will include removing more than 2,000 tonnes of debris which has slipped down from the slope at Kex Gill, as well as installing 50 metres of new drainage channels and introducing about 100 tonnes of clean stone to stabilise the area.