Work to lay a new gas main across the Grosvenor Bridge in Chester will start early in the New Year.
The project is part of a two year programme of gas mains replacement work being undertaken by National Grid.
A total of 700 metres of new plastic gas main will be laid along Grosvenor Road and over the Grosvenor bridge. Once the new main is in place, National Grid will be able to decommission the gas pipe which is currently carried over the river on the railway bridge. A section of gas main will also be decommissioned in the stable area of Chester Racecourse.
To allow work to take place, Grosvenor Bridge will be closed to outbound traffic from 14th January for a period of approximately eight weeks. A diversion will be in place via Castle Drive, Dee Bridge, Handbridge and Overleigh Road. Inbound traffic through Handbridge will follow a one-way system.
This revised arrangement for managing traffic flows around the work has been agreed with Cheshire County Council.
In total, National Grid will lay nearly 9km of new medium pressure gas mains in Chester at a cost of £2.6m. The new mains will be of a larger diameter than the existing mains to increase the capacity of the local gas supply network.
The pipes will also be made of durable polyethylene which will have a life-span of around 80 years if undisturbed once in the ground. Once complete, Chester will be one of the first cities in the UK to boast an ‘all plastic’ network of medium pressure mains.
This major project will allow National Grid to continue to provide a safe and reliable gas supply to the people of Chester and North Wales.
Craig Horrocks, National Grid’s Term Contract Manager said: “It is inevitable that our work will result in delays for people using roads on this side of the city. We have worked closely with the county and city councils and the emergency services in planning our work and the traffic management measures needed to keep our engineers and the public safe while we do our work.
He added: “There will be disruption in the short term, but in the long term, the people living in Chester and across North Wales will be able to continue taking their gas supply for granted.”
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For further media information only, please contact Jeanette Jackson, National Grid Communications on 07785 290230.