The A59 at Kex Gill has now re-opened to the public after work to remove more than 2,000 tonnes of debris which slipped down from the slope, as well as the installation of 50 metres of new drainage channels and the introduction of about 100 tonnes of clean stone to stabilise the area.
A Harrogate-based contractor, HACS, carried out the extensive works on the problematic stretch of road on behalf of North Yorkshire Council following the landslip in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The work was scheduled to be completed by Wednesday, January 29, but thanks to favourable weather conditions and extended working hours by the contactors, the work has been completed and the road has reopened today (Thursday, January 23) almost a week earlier than anticipated.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:
I am pleased to confirm that work to repair the A59 at Kex Gill, following the landslip on New Year’s Day, has been completed earlier than anticipated.
I’d like to thank road users and local residents for their patience, and the hard work and commitment of HACS and our own highways team for getting the work completed as safely and as quickly as possible.
This was the 15th closure since 2000 and emphasises the importance of delivering our £68 million scheme to bypass this problem area and avoid disruptive closures happening in future.
The realignment of Kex Gill is North Yorkshire Council’s largest ever highways project. It involves creating a new four-kilometre stretch of road to replace the existing part of the A59 which has been affected by the landslips. This project is progressing well and we expect the new road to be open next spring.
Although the A59 is now open, road users are being advised to travel with caution following the announcement that the north of the country is due to experience up to 90mph winds tomorrow (Friday, January 24) as a result of Storm Éowyn.
