Manchester city centre gas pipe upgrade starts 31 July

Jul 27 2017 in your area

Two-week pipe upgrade at Great Ducie Street, Trinity Way and New Bridge Street

Work scheduled during summer holidays to minimise disruption
Part of £77.5m project in 2017/18 to upgrade 500km of pipes in North West
Underground pipes which keep gas flowing through Manchester city centre are to be upgraded in a project which starts on Monday (31 July).

Cadent, the UK’s biggest gas network, will replace ageing metal pipes with durable plastic that will last to the end of the century, requiring little or no maintenance.

The two-week scheme is part of a £77.5m investment this year by Cadent (formerly known as National Grid Gas Distribution), to upgrade 500km of gas pipes in North West England.

The pipes sit beneath the road, which will need digging into, which means temporary traffic management arrangements are necessary. These have been agreed with Manchester City Council.

To minimise disruption, the work has been scheduled for the summer holidays, when traffic is lighter, and while the neighbouring Manchester Arena has no events taking place.

There will be a road closure on Great Ducie Street, at the junction of Trinity Way and New Bridge Street, for nine days, with a diversion route clearly marked.

This road is due to reopen around 9 August, when there will then be a partial lane closure on New Bridge Street, for about one week.

Steve Murray, who heads Cadent’s gas mains replacement programme, said: “We’re investing in tough durable plastic pipes to ensure a safe and reliable supply to 2.7m homes across Manchester and the North West, so that gas is available ‘on demand’ for cooking and heating.

“By nature of the fact our pipes often sit underneath roads, it’s inevitable we will cause disruption, but we have worked very hard with the council to minimise that.”

Information has been sent direct to homes and businesses in the roads affected and customer teams will knock door-to-door, to explain the work and learn if anyone has any issues to accommodate.

If anyone has enquiries about gas mains replacement 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

Cadent

Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.

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