Wales & West Utilities is set to start two gas pipe investment schemes in the city which will make sure that local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply for years to come.
Both schemes start on 24 July, with the first representing a £460,000 investment which will involve upgrading over 3.6km of old metal pipes to new plastic ones in the St Peters Road area. The company anticipates this work will take 14 weeks to complete.
The second scheme, totalling £35,000, involves work on Derriford Road will take seven weeks to complete.
Ahead of both schemes Wales & West Utilities has worked closely with Plymouth City Council.
It has been agreed that to keep disruption to the local community and local road users to a minimum, the work in the St Peters Road area will be split into three phases.
- Phase 1, which will start on 24 July, involves upgrading pipes between Manadon Primary School and Hardy Crescent. In order to keep the public and our workers safe there will be a road closure which will allow traffic to come in off the main roundabout but a diversion route will be signposted as there will be no exit via St Peters Road onto the main roundabout.
- Phase 2 will start on 14 August where work will take place on St Peters Road between Hardy Crescent and Chaucer Way. Two-way traffic lights will be in place along St Peters Road and three-way traffic lights will be present on the junction of Sheridan Road and St Peter Road.
- Phase 3 will start on 14 August and will involve upgrading gas pipes on Manadon Drive. During this final phase a road closure will be in place on the junction of St Peter’s Road and Manadon Drive. Traffic will be allowed to enter Manadon Drive but will only be permitted to exit via the slip road on Tavistock Road
The work on Derriford Road will also involve traffic management on the junctions of Derriford Road and Marjon Hill and Derriford Road and Research Way.
Wales & West Utilities Programme Controller for Deuvon & Cornwall, Jim Lee is managing the work and said:
“We know tHat working on roads like these is not ideal, but it really is essential to keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area and to make sure the gas network is fit for 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 a minimum.
“We’re very aware of the effect that our work can have on communities and commuters and we’re working closely with Plymouth City Council to get this essential work done while causing the least inconvenience.”
Our Customer Service Team is ready to take your call if you have any questions about our work. You can contact them on freephone 0800 912 2999 or 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.
Our team is also working on a 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.