- Heat is guaranteed in Greater Manchester this summer, with a major gas pipe upgrade that’s timed to cause least disruption
- Summertime replacement of a total of 2km of pipes in the city centre, Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylsden, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan
- Cadent, the UK’s biggest gas network, is replacing ageing metal mains with tough, durable plastic that will last at least 80 years
An essential upgrade of the gas pipes that keep energy flowing to homes and businesses around Greater Manchester will take place during the school holidays.
Engineers working for gas network Cadent have timed the work to cause minimum disruption, as they replace around 2km of pipes under major roads in the area.
The work is part of a £77.5m investment by Cadent to upgrade 500km of ageing iron mains across the North West region in 2017/18.
During the school summer holiday period:
- 700m of pipe will be replaced in Newhey Road, Rochdale
- 530m of pipe will be replaced in Darnton Road, Ashton-under-Lyne
- 435m of pipe will be replaced in Market Street / Greenside Lane, Droylsden
- 200m of pipe will be replaced in Chadderton Hall Road, Oldham
- 20m of pipe will be replaced in Vauxhall Road, Wigan
Cadent has also liaised with Manchester City Council to agree timing for works in the city centre in the holiday period. Its contractors will be working at the crossroads of Great Ducie Street, Victoria Street and Trinity Street for three weeks from 31 July.
Steve Murray, who heads up Cadent’s gas mains replacement programme, said: “This is significant engineering and a big investment by Cadent to ensure gas is available ‘on demand’, for cooking and heating, in 2.7m homes and businesses in North West England. We’re upgrading our ageing metal mains with tough, durable plastic that will last at least 80 years and require little or no maintenance.
“Our work is essential to keep energy flowing. By nature of the fact this involves digging in roads, it will inevitably cause some disruption for motorists. That’s why we’ve specifically planned these projects to times when traffic is lighter.”
Near the start of works, letters and updates are sent to every property in the streets affected by the work and customer teams knock door-to-door, to explain the work and learn if people or businesses have any issues to accommodate. All traffic management arrangements have been planned and agreed with local councils.
If anyone has enquiries about gas mains replacement work in their area they can call the North West customer team on 0161 703 1000 / 1010.
More information on how Cadent replaces gas mains and how that affects residents and businesses is at
www.bettergaspipes.co.uk