Major gas works on Leeds and Bradford Road will this weekend cause traffic congestion in the Kirkstall and Bramley area.
The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is investing £50,000 to upgrade the ageing gas distribution network near to the Bridge Road/Broad Lane traffic lights.
Work includes replacing 150 metres of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.
The majority of the work, which should be completed by the end of September, will be off the highway with minimum disruption to traffic.
But highways chiefs in Leeds are warning there are two phases of the scheme where delays are to be expected:
- Tomorrow (Friday, September 2) night, from 7pm until 5am on Monday morning, Leeds and Bradford Road will be closed (one way) to traffic travelling into Bramley from the Broad Lane/Bridge Road junction. Traffic will be diverted onto Broad Lane.
- This will also be the case Friday 23rd to Monday 26th September. Traffic traveling into Leeds/Kirkstall will be unaffected.
Leeds City Council Area Network Manager for Leeds North, Kenny Harkis, said:
“On both occasions the teams from Northern Gas will be working 24 hours a day throughout the closure period to ensure that the huge amount of work that needs to be carried out is completed and the road reopened before the rush hour on Monday.”
Advanced warning signs have been on site for more than a week and Northern Gas have sent out letters to hundreds of residents and businesses, including the Kirkstall Morrisons retail park and the business park on Wyther Lane.
James Knox, site manager for Northern Gas Networks, said:
“We have been working closely with Network Rail, British Waterways and Leeds City Council’s Bridges Department to carefully plan this project and will introduce the traffic management on weekends only to reduce disruption to customers.
“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these works, and thank our customers for their patience and support in getting them completed as quickly as possible.”
For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours per day, seven days per week.