Work starting on 5th July to protect gas supply to 17,000 homes in Cheshire

Work begins next week (5 July) to ensure gas supply to thousands of homes in Cheshire is not adversely impacted by a scheme to improve access to a business park.

Cadent, which manages the county’s underground pipe distribution network, is about to start a complex engineering job to move a section of its steel main near Gadbrook Park, Rudheath.

This is part of a wider project to improve access to the site.

Assessment of the route and depth of this gas pipe, which helps transport gas to around 17,000 homes in the area, means it needs to be diverted to enable these road improvements to happen.

The technique that will be adopted by the Cadent team allows gas to stay ON throughout, as work continues over several months to divert this 10-inch diameter leg of the local gas transportation system.

Cadent’s teams will be working close to the A556 junction with Gadbrook Road (near Roberts Bakery), with one lane of the A556 taken out of action for a short distance here to maintain a safe work space.

“People living locally, or who regularly drive by this area, will be aware that teams from other firms have already been on site here for a while now, doing other work associated with the wider road improvement project,” said Kevin Flynn, Engineering Manager, Cadent.

“It’s now reached a point where we must work on securing the local gas infrastructure.

“It’s not a straightforward job, but we are able to work on it ‘live’ – which means gas stays on throughout the work. This is going to involve complex engineering, with a number of welding operations and heavy lifting plans needed.

“We know this is a busy road and have worked with the authorities to minimise our encroachment into the carriageway. We’ll occupy just one lane of the A556, so traffic can still travel in both directions.

“We will also have traffic lights safely managing movement of vehicles at the Gadbrook Road junction with the A556, so please budget a little extra time to your journey.”

If you smell gas

If you smell gas, near to this location or anywhere, ring the national gas emergency service immediately on 0800 111 999. Please do not assume it is related to this work as it may not be and needs to be checked out. All calls are recorded and may be monitored.

Cadent in the North West

Cadent operates four of the UK’s eight gas distribution networks – North West England, West Midlands, Eastern England and North London.

Its North West network stretches from the Lake District to Crewe and is home to 21,000 miles of distribution pipes (most of them underground) and hundreds of above ground installations. If placed end to end, that amount of pipes would stretch from Cheshire to Sydney, Australia, and back again.

More than 83 per cent of households in the Cheshire West and Chester Council area are heated by gas.

Backed by Cadent and many partners, the North West region is set to lead the way in a major shift from fossil gases to hydrogen. Producing only heat and water at point of use, hydrogen is key to the UK’s net zero future and is set to be introduced at volume in the North West during the 2020s.

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