Next month (May) marks the start of a major National Grid engineering project to secure gas supplies to parts of Hitchin until the end of this century.
National Grid, in partnership with Morrison Utility Services, will be upgrading 1.8km of gas pipes in Walsworth Road, from the junction of St Michael’s Road and Cambridge Road to the junction of Portmill Lane and Queen Street.
The work is due to start on 2 May and is scheduled for completion by mid-November. The existing iron mains will be replaced with durable plastic pipes that have a lifespan of 80 years if left undisturbed in the ground.
The project will be carried out in phases. To safeguard both engineers and road-users while the work is under way, a number of traffic management measures have been agreed with the highways authority.
The first phase of works - from St Michael’s Road to Station Approach – will take place under temporary traffic lights and is due to take three weeks. During the second phase, from Station Approach to the Queen Mother Theatre, it will be necessary to close Walsworth Road to through traffic from Station Approach to Verulam Road for 19 weeks, starting on 25 May.
Vehicle access will be maintained for businesses and residents within the road closure. Other traffic will be diverted along the following route: Queen Street, Park Street, Park Way, Old Park Road, Bedford Road, Fishponds Road and Nightingale Road. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times and businesses will remain open as usual throughout the works.
National Grid Construction Operations Engineer Julian Yaxley said: “This is essential work that will ensure local people continue to benefit from safe and reliable gas supplies for many years to come. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by our works. The temporary traffic management measures are necessary so that we can carry out this work safely but every effort will be made to minimise disruption and complete the works as soon as possible.”
Details of each phase are shown below:
Phase 1
Engineers will replace the gas mains from St Michael’s Road to Station approach. The work is due to start on 2 May and is expected to last three weeks.
- Traffic flows will be controlled by temporary traffic lights. Initially these will be stationed at the junction of Cambridge Road, St Michael’s Road and Meadow Bank and as the work progesses they will be moved to the railway bridge and finally to the junction of Walsworth Road, Nightingale Road and Cambridge Road.
Phase 2
The mains will be replaced from Station Approach to the entrance of the Queen Mother Theatre. Work is due to start on 25 May and is expected to last 19 weeks.
- Walsworth Road will be closed to through traffic from Station Approach to Verulam Road from 25 May to 5 October. Vehicle access will be retained for businesses and residents. For all other traffic the following diversion will be in place: Queen Street, Park Street, Park Way, Old Park Road, Bedford Road, Fishponds Road and Nightingale Road.
Phase 3
The mains will be replaced from the Queen Mother Theatre to the junction of Queen Street and Hermitage Road. The work is scheduled to start on 5 October and is due to take three weeks.
- One of the two south bound lanes will be closed
Phase 4
In the final phase engineers will replace the mains from Hermitage Road to Portmill Lane.
- There will be no right turn into or out of Portmill Lane. Traffic will directed along Queen Street and Walsworth Road to turn around at the roundabout at Walsworth Road and Verulam Road. There will also be a temporary footpath closure near the junction with Portmill Lane.
The work is part of a national mains renewal programme developed by National Grid in conjunction with the Health & Safety Executive and industry regulator Ofgem.
If members of the public have any enquiries about this project they should call Morrison Utility Services on 01462 444940.
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For media enquiries contact Sara Wilcox, National Grid Communications, on 01926 655271