The County Council’s contractors will be working over the next two weeks on the bank below the road to carry out the repairs necessary to reinforce the wall.
This is a technically complex operation with difficult ground conditions, but the authority continues to work towards being able to open the road to single file traffic early in July.
The County Council say it is aware of local businesses’ concerns about the closure and is doing all it can to reopen the road to traffic. An added benefit of opening the road to single file traffic would be to provide access ahead of the Great Yorkshire Show.
A NYCC spokesperson said:
However, given the complexity of the operation, it is only as work progresses that we can be certain that all the issues have been dealt with successfully. Safety must be our top priority, so we will not open the road to traffic unless we are sure it is safe to do so.
At the same time, we continue to work towards the permanent solution and will consult locally on this at the appropriate time. The situation will be kept under review as works progress to minimise the need for further closures.
During the current closure, we have taken the opportunity to carry out safety patching and gully cleaning elsewhere on the road to avoid further potential disruption at a later date.
The A59 is an important trans-Pennine route, but has a history of instability of the land at Kex Gill. Realigning the road at this point to the other side of the valley is part of the County Council’s strategic transport plan to improve east to west transport connections.
The County Council is now in a position to publish its proposed preferred alignment and is inviting the public to view the plans on Saturday, 30 June, at Norwood Social Hall, Broad Dubb Road, Norwood, Harrogate, HG3 1TE.
People can drop in between 10am and 3pm. Council officers and the authority’s consultants, WSP, will be on hand to discuss the proposals and visitors can make written or verbal comments.
Information will also be online at www.northyorks.gov.uk/kexgill and people can email comments to LTP@northyorks.gov.uk
Anyone unable to access the internet can call 01609 780780 or write to Transport Planning Team, Business and Environmental Services, North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AD.
