Road delays warning as gas main work starts

TRAFFIC delays are expected with one lane of the A59 near Ormskirk remaining closed until the end of April.

Cadent, the North West’s gas distribution network, is carrying our major work to upgrade an ageing gas pipe alongside the A59.

According to the company, assessments have shown that the pipe, which was installed in the 1950s, has reached the end of its working life.

Engineers closed one lane of the northbound side of the dual carriageway last month and said that the work was scheduled to last 17 weeks until the end of April.

They also closed the junction to and from Winifred Lane in Aughton last month, to remain closed until March 1 with a signed diversion being set up.

Cadent says the A59 will remain open throughout the work and that gas supplies should not be interrupted.

The work is part of a UK-wide multi-million pound investment to upgrade gas pipes, to ensure safe and reliable supplies of gas – for heating, hot water and cooking – well into the future.

At 18in in diameter, the pipe alongside and under the A59 is as wide a car tyre.

Engineers will be inserting a new, durable plastic pipe into the old, cast iron main. This will be from near Winifred Lane to Back Lane, Aughton – a distance of just over a mile (1.8km).

The team planning the job is also in discussions with neighbouring Sefton Council to consider the feasibility of extending the work into a section of the A59 in the borough.

Craig Horrocks, who heads Cadent’s gas mains replacement programme in the North West, said: “This is essential engineering to ensure we can keep a safe and reliable supply of gas to thousands of homes, for use in central heating systems, having hot water and for cooking meals.

“Once the new pipe is in place, it will keep energy flowing to the local area for at least 80 years.”