The North of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is investing £2.5m to upgrade the ageing gas distribution network in and around Leeds Road and St Andrews Road, Huddersfield.

The project is part of NGN’s ongoing investment in the energy infrastructure in Huddersfield and will involve replacing around 3km of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes, to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.

The ageing pipes, some of which are nearly 100 years old, have required a number of repairs in recent years. Therefore, NGN has prioritised them for replacement this year to minimise any future inconvenience for residents and road users.

The work on Leeds Road began in May and is due for completion in June 2018, having been planned in conjunction with Kirklees Council to take place in phases which will ensure the scheme is completed with as little disruption as possible.

The first phase of Leeds Road is now complete and engineers have begun the second phase, on the opposite site of the road, extending from Barr Street along the outbound carriageway of Leeds Road.

From Sunday (22 October), four-way temporary traffic signals will be introduced on Leeds Road at the junction of Bradley Mills Road and Barr Street for approximately one-week. Traffic signals will be manually operated between 7am and 8pm to help manage traffic flow.

Josh Hampshire, Construction Services Area Manager for Northern Gas Networks, said: “We’ve carefully planned this essential work so that phase two of the project on Leeds Road coincides with the school half term holidays and Huddersfield Town playing away from home. Unfortunately we do expect long delays and are asking members of public to leave more time to travel and find an alternative route where possible.”

Once this section of work is complete the project will progress to the outbound carriageway of Leeds Road and a contra-flow system will be in place for approximately five-weeks to safely guide all traffic through the works.

Josh continued: “We have been working closely with Kirklees Council to carefully plan this project to coincide with their resurfacing scheme which is due to take place on Leeds Road next year, and minimise any disruption to customers.

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these works, and thank our customers for their patience and support while we work to complete the project as quickly as possible.”

The works on St Andrews Road, which began in May, are now approaching the final stages and are due for completion at the end of the month (October 2017).

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 or email: customercare@northerngas.co.uk.

Anyone that smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.