National Grid starts next phase of gas network improvements in Slough

21/10/2009

As school goes out for the half term holidays National Grid will be starting the next stage of its essential gas mains replacement work in Slough.

Making the most of the traditional lull in traffic during school holidays, National Grid will start work on replacing 1km of gas mains between the railway bridge in St Mary’s Road and the junction with Langley Road.

Work to replace metal gas mains with new hard-wearing plastic pipes will begin on Saturday 24 October and will take around nine weeks.

The first week of work will be carried out in Langley Road at the junction with St Mary’s Road, close to The Langley Academy. Work will then begin in St Mary’s Road. The project team will return to Langley Road for one week in mid-November.

Temporary traffic signals will be needed on Langley Road near to the junction of St Mary’s Road, and the bus stop will be moved temporarily further up the road towards the junction with Minster Way. The traffic lights at the St Mary’s Road railway bridge will be replaced with temporary traffic signals from early November while the work is carried out.

National Grid project manager Mark Whittaker said: “This work has been planned in close conjunction with Slough Borough Council to ensure it is carried out with a minimum of disruption.

“We are beginning work during the school holidays when the roads should be quieter, and we are also inserting the new plastic pipes into the old mains wherever possible to minimise the need for long lengths of trench work.

“Our engineers will also be working seven days a week to ensure the work is carried out as quickly as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this essential project may cause. However there is a long term gain as once installed these new pipes will help ensure the area continues to enjoy safe, reliable and efficient gas supplies for many years to come.”

Customers’ gas supplies should be unaffected by the work, which should be completed by Christmas.

The work is part of National Grid’s ongoing project to replace 17km of iron gas mains in Slough and Windsor, and forms part of National Grid’s nationwide mains replacement programme, developed in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive. This involves the replacement of all metallic gas mains within 30 metres of buildings..

If you have any questions about the work please call our helpline on 0800 096 5678.

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For further media information contact Antony Quarrell, National Grid Media Relations on 07810 853075

Notes to Editors:

National Grid
National Grid is an international electricity and gas company and one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. We play a vital role in delivering gas and electricity to millions of people across Great Britain and northeastern US in an efficient, reliable and safe manner. We believe the power of action can play a major role in safeguarding our global environment for future generations and tackling the effects of climate change, providing all our customers with the highest standards of service through network investment and through our talented, diverse workforce.

National Grid owns the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales and operates the system across Great Britain. It also owns and operates the high pressure gas transmission system in Britain and its distribution business delivers gas to 11 million homes and businesses.

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