Wales & West Utilities is set to start a £120,000 gas pipe investment scheme in the Barrack Road area of Exeter which will make sure that local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply to the area for years to come.
Starting on 8 September, the scheme will involve replacing more than 2 kilometres of old metal gas pipes with new plastic ones on Barrack Road, Dryden Road, Bovemoor’s Lane and Carlile Road. The four phase scheme will take approximately 18 weeks to complete.
Wales & West Utilities has worked closely with Devon County Council in planning the work, and to make sure there is the minimum disruption to local road users, it has been split into several phases.
- Phase 1 will involve laying 300 metres of new gas pipe on Barrack Road from the junction of Magdalen Road to the junction of Haldon View Terrace. This work will start on 8 September and should be completed by 6 October. So road users, pedestrians and our colleagues are kept safe whilst the work is ongoing a road closure on the junction of Magdalen Road and Barrack Road will be in place with two-way traffic lights and a north bound lane closure on Barrack Road.
- Phase 2 will involve laying 400 metres of new gas pipe on Barrack Road from the junction of Haldon View Terrace to the junction of Dryden Road. This work will start on 3 October and should take approximately 6 weeks to complete. Three-way traffic lights will be present on the junction of Haldon View Terrace and Barrack Road, changing into two-way rolling traffic lights as work moves down Barrack Road to the junction of Barrack Road and Dryden Road.
- Phase 3 will involve laying 1km of new gas pipe from the junction of Barrack Road and Dryden Road to Bovemoor’s Lane. This section of gas main replacement works will start in late October and should take 7 weeks to complete. A four-way traffic light system will be in place with two-way traffic lights rolling down Dryden Road.
- Phase 4 will involve laying 400 metres of new gas pipe from the junction of Dryden Road to Carlisle Road. This work will start on 5 December and should take seven weeks to complete. Three-way traffic lights will be present on the junction of Dryden road and Bovemoor’s Lane and two-way lights will be used as the work moves down Bovemoor’s Lane.
Wales & West Utilities First Line Manager, Jason Miller, is managing the scheme and said:
“We know that working on roads like these is not ideal, but it really is essential to support the area into the future. We’ll be working hard to make sure that the work is completed as safely and as quickly as possible whilst also keeping disruption to local people to a minimum.
“Replacing old metal gas pipes is a complex job and depending on what we find when we start work, our plans may need to change. We will make sure local people are kept updated of our progress.
“Access to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital will be maintained at all times.
"We would like to thank local people in advance for their understanding while we do this essential work.”
Once we start work, people can always approach the team on site with any questions. Our Customer Service Team is also ready to take your call if you have any questions about our work. You can contact them on free phone 0800 912 2999 or by enquiries@wwwutilities.co.uk. Alternatively, you can contact us on Twitter @WWUtilities or Facebook.com/WWUtilities.
Wales & West Utilities has a team of more than 1000 trained and experienced engineers to help serve the 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales that rely on its gas emergency and pipeline services. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.
This project forms part of our multi-million pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being replaced with new long-lasting plastic pipes with a lifespan of more than 80 years, to make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.