Kempston’s Woburn Road was reopened to two-way traffic yesterday (Wednesday 15 August) after engineers completed gas mains replacement works more than two weeks early.
The North London Gas Alliance, which is carrying out the work on behalf of National Grid, finished replacing half a kilometre of iron mains in Woburn Road on Sunday – well ahead of the eight week target. Staff worked through the weekend to complete the final phase of the project, which involved complex engineering works at the top of Woburn Road and St John’s Street roundabout.
One-way traffic restrictions, in place to protect workers and road-users, were lifted yesterday after the road was reinstated.
Gas Alliance Zone Manager Kevin Blundell said: “These are essential works which will ensure Kempston people continue to enjoy a safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come. However, we always try to minimise any disruption caused by our operations and we are working hard to complete the project as soon as we can.
“Safety is our top priority. To protect both workers and motorists it was necessary to install a one-way system in Woburn Road while the works were underway. We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience this caused and thank people for bearing with us.”
The works are part of a £1 million scheme to replace 20 kilometres of iron mains in Kempston with durable plastic pipes, which have a lifespan of 80 years if left undisturbed in the ground. So far engineers have renewed almost seven kilometres of main and work is now underway in Bunyan Road.
The work and traffic management measures have been planned with Bedfordshire Highways Authority and the Police to reduce the impact on residents and motorists. The work is being undertaken by the North London Gas Alliance, a partnership between National Grid and leading construction company Skanska-McNicholas.
To further reduce disruption, where possible state-of-the-art mains replacement technology will be used, which involves inserting the new pipe in the existing main. This avoids the need for long open trenches used in tradition excavation methods.
The Kempston works are part of a 30-year programme agreed between National Grid and the Health and Safety Executive to replace all metal gas mains within 30 metres of properties.
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For further media information only, please contact Sara Wilcox, National Grid Communications on 01926 655271.