The North of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is investing £1.3 million to upgrade to the gas distribution network in the St Andrew’s and Wakefield Road area of Huddersfield.
This is part of the ongoing scheme that has included Colne Road, Queen Street South and Firth Street, and will ensure the safe, continued and reliable supply of gas to customers in Huddersfield for years to come.
The 60-week project, which began in October 2018, is progressing well and on schedule, having been planned in conjunction with Kirklees Council. For the next phase of the works, and to ensure the safety of NGN engineering teams and members of the public, it will be necessary to adapt the traffic management currently in place.
From Wednesday 5th June, NGN teams will be working overnight to replace the gas main on Wakefield Road. In order for the work to be carried out safely and efficiently, there will be reduced lane access on the carriageway during this time. Teams will be working between 7pm and 5am for 10 consecutive nights, and all lanes will be reopened at 5am the following day.
At the same time, NGN is collaborating with fibre optic network builder City Fibre, who will be upgrading the broadband infrastructure at the same time, in order to minimise future disruption to customers.
From 24 June, a road closure will be introduced on St Andrew’s Road at the junction of Wakefield Road, for around six weeks.
Traffic will be able to enter St Andrew’s Road from Wakefield Road but unable to exit on to Wakefield Road. A fully signed diversion will be in place for motorists to follow during this time.
It’s expected that journey times will be increased because of the traffic management, so all motorists and commuters are advised to leave extra time for travel.
NGN’s Customer Care team will continue to speak to affected residents and businesses and providing regular updates on progress throughout the scheme. Updates will also be posted on Facebook/northerngasnetworks and @NGNgas as well as Kirklees Council’s channels.
Chris Nevison, NGN Business Lead for Pennines, said: “After safety, minimising the impact of road works on our customers is our top priority.
“We would like to thank all our customers for their patience whilst we carry out this essential project, and apologise for any inconvenience the works may cause as we look to complete them as safely and quickly as possible’’
For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 or email: customercare@northerngas.co.uk.
Anyone that smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24-hours a day, seven days a week.