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The extensive repair scheme to stabilise a landslip on the A59 at Kex Gill, between Skipton and Blubberhouses, has now started.

Work includes driving long sheets of steel into the ground to create a structural wall. Once this has been completed, our contractors will fill in the excavated area between the steel sheets and the road to provide strength and stability. Relocating communication cables, drainage work and resurfacing the carriageway also form part of the scheme.

To allow the road to reopen as soon as possible, there will be extended working hours, as well as weekend work. Subject to any unforeseen delays, we anticipate this to be before the end of June.

In this email, you will find out more about the repair scheme as well as the realignment project. We will aim to keep you updated over the coming months, but if you’d prefer not to be kept informed, please let us know. We would like to thank you for your patience and reiterate that we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.

Cause of the latest closure.

The A59 at Kex Gill has a long history of landslips and this latest closure is a result of the poor weather over the past few months.

We’ve had one of the wettest starts to the year on record and the persistent bad weather has continued to make the situation worse, with further ground movement and landslips since the start of the closure. Due to the severity of the landslip and the gap in the carriageway increasing daily (as shown in the photos below), it is not safe to open the road, even under two-way lights. This is equally as necessary with the sheet piling work taking place.

Diversion route.

Road users are advised to follow the diversion route in place, which is via the A658, A660 and A65 (or by this route reversed). Signage is in place, advising people of the closure and that businesses remain open. This is checked regularly, along with additional signage across the area.

Realignment project update.

The realignment project is progressing well. 

To date, our contractor has cleared vegetation, constructed the site compound, installed 3km of temporary haul roads, built 2km of new dry stone walling, and started earthworks for a new retaining wall and underpass. We have also installed several bird and barn owl boxes and have safely relocated fish from Cote Hill Dike.

The next phase, starting this month, will involve earthworks for the new road, where over 370,000m3 of material (enough to fill around 150 Olympic swimming pools) will be excavated. Vertical drains, known as Band Drains, will also be installed to allow water to drain away quicker and improve stability.

You can find out more here.

North Yorkshire Council