The second phase of a scheme to ensure the safety and reliability of the gas network in Redditch is due to start shortly. On Monday 01 March, National Grid will begin replacing two old metal gas mains in Evesham Road with new hard wearing plastic pipe.
Work will start at the junction of Evesham Road and Headless Cross Drive. Initially, the existing traffic lights will be replaced by four-way temporary lights while engineers replace the pipe that runs across the junction. Once this is complete, the temporary lights will be removed and the work will move along Evesham Road to the junction of Plymouth Road. This will require two way traffic lights which will move along the road as the work progresses. This work is expected to take three weeks to complete.
Further along Evesham Road work will start at the beginning of April to replace the main from Blythe Close to the Star and Garter island. This section will take around two months to complete and will also require temporary two-way traffic lights.
To help local residents and traders find out more about the work and how they might be affected, National Grid will be taking its information vehicle to be shoppers' car park on Evesham Road next week. From Tuesday (02 February) to Friday (05 February) members of the project team will be available between 10am and 3pm to answer questions and discuss the details of the scheme.
Project manager John Cunningham said: ‘Roadworks are disruptive but I would ask motorists to bear with us while we carry out this essential work. Unfortunately because of the size of the pipe and its position in the road we cannot keep two lanes of traffic flowing. However, I would like to reassure people that this short term inconvenience will have long term benefits. The new pipe we are laying is hard wearing and will last for up to 80 years with little or no maintenance.’
The work will be carried out by the West Midlands Gas Alliance, a partnership between National Grid and leading utilities company Morgan Est. The project is part of National Grid’s 30-year programme to improve the safety and reliability of the gas supply network by replacing all metal gas pipes that lie within 30 metres of property.
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For further media information contact, Jane Taylor, National Grid Media Relations on 0121 333 2640