A £5.5M scheme to improve the aging gas supply in Ellesmere Port will begin next month and take a year to complete.
National Grid is renewing 43km of gas mains affecting New Chester Road and Chester Road (A41), Station Road, Rivacre Road, Overpool Road, Ledsham Road and Sutton Way.
The work is part of a £96m package of improvements to 585km of the region’s gas supply network.
John Edwards of the North West Gas Alliance, which is doing most of the work, said: “The gas pipes which run beneath the streets of Ellesmere Port have served us well but the time has now come to replace them.
“We know that this will be a nuisance, but the new pipes are designed to last at least 80 years once we get them in the ground.
“Over recent years we have sometimes made repeat visits to the same areas to carry out gas mains replacement but now our engineers will mainly concentrate on specific locations, replacing several kilometres of gas main over a period of months.”
Work on the main roads has been planned in conjunction with Cheshire West and Chester Council, and advance warning will be given and diversion routes will be clearly signposted.
The new plastic pipes will be inserted inside the existing metal mains, if possible, to reduce the need for excavations.
Mr Edwards added: “We will do everything we can to keep traffic moving while we are working and also to make sure local businesses can continue to operate as normal.”
“We know that people will obviously be concerned about the disruption but we are appealing for them to have patience with us during our work.
“The short-term pain will be followed by a long-term gain – a safe and reliable gas supply system for many years to come.”
