- Gas main upgrade in Bury Road, Breightmet, ensures safe supplies for generations
- Nearly 90 per cent of homes in the area depend on gas for warmth in winter months
- Safety-first approach; school holidays picked for main part of work, to minimise disruption
A major project to upgrade and future-proof an old underground gas main in Breightmet moves onto Bury Road on Monday (5 August).
Cadent, which manages the North West’s gas mains, is replacing a metallic main relied on by thousands of homes for warmth in winter.
The work is part of a country-wide, multi-million-pound upgrade of older gas mains – replacing them with a durable plastic that will last at least 80 years.
Nearly 90% of the 5,897 homes in Breightmet are heated by gas and the new pipe will ensure continued safe supply.
Upgrading the main also means an end to increasingly-frequent disruption caused by age-related maintenance and repair work.
As most mains are generally under roads, disruption is unavoidable – but essential to keep everyone safe.
Cadent and its partners at Balfour Beatty have worked with Bolton Council to time the more disruptive parts of the scheme to school holidays.
Teams have been working on Long Lane for a month, with traffic lights controlling the flow of vehicles around the work area. On Monday (5 August), they move to Bury Road.
Bury Road remains open with a lane closure and two way traffic lights. There will be no access to or from either Long Lane or Empire Road, where they join Bury Road, due to the roads being closed.
There will be a signed diversion route in place. Access will be maintained to residents and to local shops.
The work in Bury Road should take a couple of weeks and be finished well before local schools reopen after the holidays.
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.
“This is vital work, future-proofing our gas mains so customers in Bolton can receive safe and reliable supplies, for heating their homes and cooking meals,” said Craig Horrocks, who heads Cadent’s mains replacement in the North West.
“Our gas mains are mostly located underneath roads, which means we face a big challenge to safely carry out heavy engineering schemes in close proximity to motorists and pedestrians.
“So, as you can imagine, the start of work here in Breightmet is actually the culmination of months of planning, including liaising with Bolton Council to agree the best time to carry out the work and how best to safely manage pedestrians and traffic passing our work area.
“Safety is always our top priority, and I really want to thank people for their patience and understanding 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.