A59 closed again at Kex Gill

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Alderpoint
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Alderpoint »

hat wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 16:06 I wonder what will happen to the existing road once this is complete? Presumably it will be fully closed on safety grounds and be allowed to crumble away.
Can't quite see it becoming a tourist attraction like the old road at Mam Torr in the Peaks.
Let it snow.
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Pendlemac
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Pendlemac »

Bryn666 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 19:38 At least it's not on fire...
Yet!

Apparently the helicopter pilots at Winter Hill have seen 'people' setting more fires! :bang:

ps Please replace 'people' with a suitable description, as writing my actual opinion of them would probably get me banned!
Repmobile
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Repmobile »

The A59 at Kex Gill reopened under temporary traffic light control on Sunday evening:

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Highways, said:

“I’m pleased that we have been able to reopen the road under traffic lights, which will be manually controlled during the coming week from 6am and 6pm every day, and until 9pm Tuesday to Thursday during the Great Yorkshire Show, to ensure maximum efficiency and to minimise delays.

“The closure period has been difficult for local communities, particularly businesses, so I’m sure they will welcome the reopening.

"It has always been our priority to reopen the A59 as quickly as possible for the benefit of all road users.

"It has been a complex operation in difficult conditions, but our staff and contractors have worked hard to reach this point.”

www.strayfm.com/news/local-news/2627004 ... -now-open/
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hat
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by hat »

no real timing or commitment to getting it fully open at the moment though. Sounds like they’ve had to widen the carriageway to get around the fault.
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stu531
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by stu531 »

I visited they Kex Gill presentation tonight at Skipton town hall.

Very interesting. WSP were showing off the details. Crucially, they want to get everything completed by April 2021. Although that isn't likely to happen, as things always get in the way, there is an accelerated timescale because of the fear of a further landslip.

There is a Crawler Lane pretty much all the way from the bottom to the top heading west. They are also realigning the junction at Blubberhouses. This is a particularly nasty slope that they are alleviating.

The guys there said they had a lot of support from locals, with only one person against it so far. The presentations cover the next couple of days in the area too. The fly-through demo is likely to be released as a YouTube video soon.
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Stevie D
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Stevie D »

stu531 wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 17:34There is a Crawler Lane pretty much all the way from the bottom to the top heading west. They are also realigning the junction at Blubberhouses. This is a particularly nasty slope that they are alleviating.
I'm very glad to hear that. I'm always very wary driving through that junction – especially in the wet – in case there's any traffic coming down the 1:4 hill that has run out of brakes.
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Bryn666
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Bryn666 »

I've no personal recollection of the A59 before Beamsley was realigned but I suspect this will be the equivalent of that.

Good but also bittersweet as the ravine bit is a fun drive when not rammed with tourists.
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stu531
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by stu531 »

Bryn666 wrote: Thu Oct 03, 2019 09:21 I've no personal recollection of the A59 before Beamsley was realigned but I suspect this will be the equivalent of that.

Good but also bittersweet as the ravine bit is a fun drive when not rammed with tourists.
I know! If there aren't any other vehicles there, it's a great drive. It will be a shame. They're keeping it as a right of way - but literally a footpath.

The flythrough did look good though. Crawler lane all the way up to the top is well needed, and because the alignment is straight, there is an opportunity to overtake on the downhill - or so the guy from WSP told me. In that respect it may be a bit better than Beamsley, as the downhill overtaking opportunities were double-lined some time ago.

The one bit of feedback I gave was that, the stretch at the very top of the pass and the little bridge (here) should've been straightened out. The reason he gave was that literally, the length that WSP had been asked to conduct the study on didn't include that area. This is IMHO an opportunity missed. The new alignment forks off at the T-junction.
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Bryn666 »

Hopefully more information will be forthcoming soon.

I'm sure there'll be a push to sort out that sharp bend by North Moor Road eventually as this will be at the end of two massively improved sections and will become a major pinch point in its own right.
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hat
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by hat »

Agreed it seems like a missed opportunity but i suppose it will act as a chicane to slow traffic, although i imagine it will be slapped with a 50 limit the same as beamsley. I thought they might keep the old ravine open as a cycle route rather than a footpath
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Big Nick
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Big Nick »

I'm surprised they didn't go for the 'straight ahead from the west' option, using the old road over the top even more. This new route could be something of a rollercoaster.
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hat
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by hat »

full planning application has now been lodged by North Yorks CC. Loads of detail attached to this
https://onlineplanningregister.northyor ... ecno=10929
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hat
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by hat »

And just over 12 months later it finally looks like funding has been agreed, with work set to start in autumn 2021
https://www.harrogate-news.co.uk/2021/0 ... -kex-gill/
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wrinkly
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by wrinkly »

Ironically the scheme seems to be entirely to the east of Kex Gill farm and bend, after which is named. Is nothing to be done about the bend?
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hat
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by hat »

I know, I can’t believe they aren’t taking a straight line from before the bridge across to moor road
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by stu531 »

wrinkly wrote: Sat Jan 30, 2021 22:40 Ironically the scheme seems to be entirely to the east of Kex Gill farm and bend, after which is named. Is nothing to be done about the bend?
Yep, it's bonkers that the effort will be put into by far the most complex and costly part of it, and the very last bit is left out. I would wager that it's upgraded in future - but of course that'll mean a total long term cost. Usual lack of strategic thinking.

I'm not sure if it's because of habitats in the area (the site is covered by an SPA), or because of potential subsidence (it's very peaty across North Moor Road) or simply because of cost - and it's probably the latter. North Moor Road's west end is very undulating; I remember driving it years ago when it was open to traffic and it was 'fun'.
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hat
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by hat »

stu531 wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 11:53
wrinkly wrote: Sat Jan 30, 2021 22:40 Ironically the scheme seems to be entirely to the east of Kex Gill farm and bend, after which is named. Is nothing to be done about the bend?
Yep, it's bonkers that the effort will be put into by far the most complex and costly part of it, and the very last bit is left out. I would wager that it's upgraded in future - but of course that'll mean a total long term cost. Usual lack of strategic thinking.

I'm not sure if it's because of habitats in the area (the site is covered by an SPA), or because of potential subsidence (it's very peaty across North Moor Road) or simply because of cost - and it's probably the latter. North Moor Road's west end is very undulating; I remember driving it years ago when it was open to traffic and it was 'fun'.
Just purely shortsighted:
The one bit of feedback I gave was that, the stretch at the very top of the pass and the little bridge (here) should've been straightened out. The reason he gave was that literally, the length that WSP had been asked to conduct the study on didn't include that area. This is IMHO an opportunity missed. The new alignment forks off at the T-junction.
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by M4 Cardiff »

Yes agreed it would make far more sense to cut straight along what looks like it could have been the historical route across the moor. However,
1-that oar-shaped feature near the western end of the route appears to be a historic mine. It is quite possible that there are shallow mineworkings that would have made investigation and remediation of them prohibitively expensive, hence that bit was avoided.
2- the formation of the route across the moor and the existing lane would have been unsuitable for directly building on, hence would have required another 1 - 1.5 km additional new construction that was not necessary, when the section of road that it would bypass may not be great, but is probably fit for purpose. That bend can probably be fixed at a later date with probably 100 m - 200 m new road to smooth out the bend.
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hat
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by hat »

£56M for 3km shows what tough terrain it is I suppose
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Stevie D
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Re: A59 closed again at Kex Gill

Post by Stevie D »

hat wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 19:48£56M for 3km shows what tough terrain it is I suppose
The fact that it looks like this https://goo.gl/maps/z7HNGP2Yr1r2JxmMA is the first clue that it is tough terrain.
The fact that they are having to divert the road because of frequent landslips is the second clue!
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