Junction upgrade timetable for Catterick extended

North Yorkshire County Council, the authority which has responsibility for roads, has been in touch with an update and apology about the ongoing road upgrade at Catterick.

In a press release the authority says:

The timetable for the final phase of a £1.6m scheme to upgrade roads around Catterick Garrison to enable housing development and economic growth has been extended.

Work began at the junction of Catterick Road, Byng Road and Horne Road in September. Byng Road and Horne Road have been closed at the A6136 junction to accommodate the work.

While on site, the contractors have found additional utilities that were not previously identified by utility companies. This means it is now necessary to divert or protect more utility cables. To do this safely, the programme has been extended, with completion now expected in early March.

North Yorkshire County Council will continue to work with all contractors involved to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. The free shuttle bus service will continue to be provided between Hipswell village and Tesco Catterick while the roads are closed.

The work is the final stage of improvements across three junctions that will help to create 1,900 new homes and hundreds of jobs based on a modern Catterick Garrison town centre, as well as improving transport links and fast access to the upgraded A1 motorway and the region’s major cities. Improvements at Catterick Bridge and complementary measures at Scorton crossroads were completed earlier this year. The junction resurfacing and lining will take place at Catterick Bridge next year to coincide with the re-opening of Fort Bridge, currently closed as part of Highway England’s A1 upgrade.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Highways, said: “We apologise for any further inconvenience caused by this unavoidable extension to the works. However, when complete, this major project will provide a package of upgrades along the A6136 corridor that will improve traffic flow between the A1, Colburn and a modern Catterick Garrison town centre. Increasing the capacity of the A6136 will help to support Catterick’s potential for growth.”

Updates about progress with the work and traffic management will be posted online atwww.northyorks.gov.uk/transportschemes.

One week to go until final Catterick road upgrade

The final junction upgrade at Whiteshops – the junction of Catterick Road, Byng Road and Horne Road – will begin with preparatory work from next Monday (Sep 5) as part of a £1.6m scheme.

The joint scheme by North Yorkshire County Council and Richmondshire District Council is improving junctions along the A6136 corridor  to enable housing development and economic growth.

Motorists are urged to be patient while the work is completed. County Councillor Helen Grant, local member for Central Richmondshire, said: “We fully recognise the disruption this improvement work will cause for residents, but I would ask them to look towards the end result, which will be the eradication of traffic gridlock in this area.”

Councillor Yvonne Peacock, leader of Richmondshire District Council, said: “As joint promoter of this project, the council is pleased that the planned improvements to the Whiteshops junction are about to start.

“Growth in our district is a key ambition of the Council and our Local Development Plan recognises the significant contribution that the land along the A6136 can make in terms of new houses and jobs. This project will address a known barrier to that growth.

“I would ask residents and visitors to the Garrison to be patient during the disruption that will result during the work.”

Last year, the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership awarded £1.2m for the scheme to the District Council via the Local Growth Fund and the County Council provided the remaining £400,000 to make the project happen.

When complete, the improvements across three junctions will help to create 1,900 new homes and hundreds of jobs based on a modern Catterick Garrison town centre, as well as improving key transport links and fast access to the upgraded A1 motorway and the region’s major cities.

Improvements at Catterick Bridge and complementary measures at Scorton crossroads were completed earlier this year. The junction resurfacing and lining will take place at Catterick Bridge next year to coincide with the re-opening of Fort Bridge, currently closed as part of Highway England’s A1 upgrade.

To keep disruption to a minimum, the A6136 Catterick Road will remain open. The work will require the closure of Byng Road and Horne Road at the A6136 junction from Monday, 12 September. Diversions will be signed. The work is expected to last 12 weeks. It will include the introduction of additional lanes, new signalling equipment and new pedestrian islands and crossing facilities.

A free shuttle bus service will be provided between Hipswell village and Tesco Catterick while the road closures are in place. Further details will be published online at www.northyorks.gov.uk/transportschemes.

“Our ambition is for North Yorkshire to be a thriving county that adapts to a changing world. Our priorities include working with our partners to deliver infrastructure investments vital to the growth of the county,” said County Councillor Carl Les, North Yorkshire County Council’s leader and one of the local members for the Catterick area.

“The completion of this major project will provide a package or necessary and welcome junction upgrades along the A6136 corridor that will improve traffic flow between the A1, Colburn and a modern Catterick Garrison town centre. Increasing the capacity of the A6136 will help to support Catterick’s potential for growth.”

Richmond’s roads to be treated with loose chippings

Time to slow down and take care of your car’s paintwork – a programme of road surfacing is about to start around Richmond with loose chippings being used.

The programme of surface dressing taking place this month will be taking place at Richmond, Scorton, Brompton-on-Swale, the A684 between Wensley and Leyburn and various locations in the Upper Dales.

The working is being carried out by North Yorkshire Council Council which says it will be improving stretches of the county’s 9,000km of roads with this summer programme.

In a press release, the council says surface dressing offers a “quick, efficient and cost-effective way” of maintaining skid-resistant and waterproof road surfaces, helping to prevent deterioration.

It involves spraying bitumen onto the road surface then covering it with a layer of chippings. The process can extend the life of a road by up to ten years.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways, said: “We know surface dressing is not popular with some drivers, mainly because of the loose chippings, which are an inevitable part of the process. However, the speed of the operation and its longer-term benefits – as well as the short time motorists are inconvenienced – are important factors.

“The process is comparatively low-cost at just a fifth of the price of resurfacing, which means we can treat a much larger proportion of the road network each year, preventing the need for much more expensive work later.

“Loose chippings may initially be a problem and that’s why we put in place a 20mph speed limit during the early life of the dressing. It is important that traffic is allowed onto the new surface because chippings need traffic to fully push them into the road. However, it is important that drivers keep to the speed limit to allow the surface to stabilise and avoid damage to their vehicles.”

After dressing, the new surface is left for seven days to allow the chippings to embed, after which any residual chippings can be swept up before road markings are repainted.

The exact locations and closures can be seen on the interactive map at www.northyorks.gov.uk/roadworks.

A1 closures this weekend

The A1 will be closed from 8pm on Friday, March 18 until 10am Saturday, March 19 in both directions between Scotch Corner and junction 56 (Barton).

The same closure will be in place on Saturday, March 19 from 8pm until 10am Sunday, March 20.

The closures will allow for six giant steel bridge beams to be lifted into place.

Gritting, traffic lights gridlock and other Richmond traffic issues

Richmond Town councillors had a briefing about the workings of the North Yorkshire County Council’s Highways department.

They raised issues including the traffic lights timing in the town centre, school gate parking and, of course, gritting.

You can watch the conversation back via the video clip here.