■ Major gas mains upgrade for Bolton’s Winter Hey Lane
■ Work will keep generations of residents safe and warm for the future
■ No access to Winter Hey Lane from Chorley New Road
■ Businesses open as usual
An ageing gas main in Bolton’s Winter Hey Lane is set for an upgrade that will keep local homes and businesses warm and safe into the next century.
Cadent, which manages the North West’s gas mains, will start work on Monday (19 August) to replace the existing iron main that local people depend on for warmth in winter. The work is due to take nine weeks.
Nearly 85% of Bolton homes rely on gas for heating. The work is part of a country-wide, multi-million-pound upgrade of older gas mains – replacing them with durable plastic pipes that will last at least 80 years.
For the first two weeks, engineers will be working at the junction of Winter Hey Lane and Chorley New Road. They will then work their way up Winter Hey Lane towards Wright Street, replacing the gas main and gas service pipes (the pipes that lead from the main in the road to individual homes and businesses).
To keep people safe while the work is under way, the following traffic management will be in place:
- Drivers will not be able to turn into Winter Hey Lane from Chorley New Road during the nine-week project. Motorists will still be able to access Winter Hey Lane from Church Road as usual.
- During the first two weeks, the existing traffic light sequencing at the junction of Winter Hey Lane and Chorley New Road will be changed to allow traffic to flow.
- For the remaining seven weeks of the project there will be no access to some side streets from Winter Hey Lane as engineers work up the road towards Wright Street.
Businesses will be open as usual throughout the works. Advance warning signs have been in place, letters have been sent to homes directed impacted by the work and a customer team is available on 0161 703 1110.
Craig Horrocks, who heads up Cadent’s mains replacement programme in the North West, said: “This is vital work to future-proof our gas mains so customers in Bolton can continue to enjoy safe and reliable gas supplies for heating their homes, cooking their meals and powering their businesses.
“Safety is always our top priority, and I would like to thank people for their patience as we complete this essential upgrade.”
Important message if you live in this area: if you smell gas, do not dismiss it as connected to this work. Report it immediately to 0800 111 999 (calls to this number are recorded and may be monitored).
Cadent is a gas distribution network, responsible for safely transporting gas to more than 11 million customers in North West England, the Midlands, East of England and North London, through more than 80,000 miles of pipes. It also provides the 24/7, year-round gas emergency service to the same regions.