- Fifteen-week gas pipe upgrade starts this summer in Golden Hillock Road
- Work will keep gas flowing to businesses and homes until the end of the century
- Project is part of a £65 million investment in the West Midlands gas network this year
Monday (24 July) marks the start of a major upgrade for gas pipes in Birmingham’s Small Heath area to keep gas supplies flowing to homes and businesses until the end of the century.
In a 15-week project, Cadent – the local gas distribution network – will be renewing the gas pipes in Golden Hillock Road, from Poets Corner to Coventry Road.
Ageing iron gas mains will be replaced with tough, durable plastic pipes that will last at least 80 years.
To keep engineers and road-users safe, temporary traffic lights, road closures and junction closures will be needed while the work is underway.
Steve Murray, who heads up Cadent’s gas mains replacement programme in the West Midlands region, said: “Our job is to connect people to the energy they use. We’re installing new gas pipes so people can continue to enjoy safe and reliable gas supplies long into the future.
“To keep everyone safe we will need to use one-way road closures and temporary traffic lights.
We appreciate this can be disruptive but we are urging people to bear with us while we carry out this essential project.
“We will make every effort to minimise inconvenience and complete the work as quickly as possible. Access will be maintained to homes and businesses in Golden Hillock Road. If anyone has any queries or concerns they can call our customer enquiries team on 0161 703 1000.”
This project is part of Cadent’s £65 million programme to renew 370kms of gas pipes in the West Midlands this year, ensuring gas supplies continue to reach 2 million homes and businesses in the region. In Birmingham alone, 93kms of pipe are earmarked for replacement this year.
The work in Golden Hillock road will be carried out in two phases.
Phase one: this is expected to take five weeks. Golden Hillock Road will be closed northbound from Poets Corner to the Cooksey Road/Glovers Road/Waverley Road/Wordsworth Road/Golden Hillock Road roundabout. The road will remain open to southbound traffic.
Phase two is expected to take 10 weeks. The gas mains will be renewed from the Cooksey Road/Glovers Road/Waverley Road/Wordsworth Road/Golden Hillock Road roundabout to Coventry Road. The following traffic management will be needed:
- Golden Hillock Road will be closed northbound, between the roundabout and Coventry Road.
- The junction of Golden Hillock Road and Coventry Road will be closed.
- Motorists heading north up Golden Hillock Road will be diverted via Wordsworth Road.
- Golden Hillock Road will remain open southbound, from the junction with Lloyd Street.
- There will be temporary traffic lights in Golden Hillock Road, Waverley Road and Wordsworth Road at their junctions with the roundabout.
- The junctions of Cooksey Road and Glovers Road will be closed at the roundabout. There will be no access to Cooksey Road and Glovers Road from the roundabout or vice versa.
All Cadent engineers carry official identity cards, which people should ask to see before allowing them on their property. To verify an engineer’s identity or for any enquiries about the project people should contact Cadent customer services team on 0161 703 1000.
To find out more about Cadent‘s gas mains replacement work go to
www.bettergaspipes.co.uk