High Street Cadent Gas Works Update - from CBC Cllr Simon Ford
Date Added: 07/10/2022
Following on from complaints from residents regarding the ongoing Cadent gas works on the High Street jw Station Road, both myself and Sandys Mayor Cllr Martin Pettitt have been this week trying to find out why again the works have not been completed as scheduled.
Yesterday I met with Cadent senior management, and they gave me the following information which I hope explains why they are in the situation they are in and also what the plan is to conclude the works as speedily as possible. Cadent were extremely apologetic for the lack of information to residents:
Reinforced concrete was found underneath the crash barriers either side of the bridge structure, slowing the required excavation works.
One of the two ducts crossing the bridge was found to be blocked during an insertion trial run. This required an excavation on the bed of the bridge, which in turn required permissions from Network Rail.
The two small diameter steel mains that are currently being fabricated require welding together then coating with 3 layers of a protective resin to prevent surface scratches when inserting, which could lead to corrosion in the long term.
We have received some enquiries around the team not being onsite. The guys may not always be visible as they are completing the above fabrication in sections in the compound by Tesco’s due to the space constraints onsite. We are looking at fabricating some bespoke signs to get this message across to passers-by.
The current aim is to have both mains fabricated, protected and inserted into the ducts by w/e 14/10/22. The required hydrostatic and pneumatic testing will then take a further week, taking us up to the 21/10/22 deadline requested by CBC Highways.
We are exploring all options to speed this process up whilst also looking at a contingency plan that would allow our works to continue alongside the CBC Highways crossing works scheduled for half term, as we understand this has already been postponed twice. A site meeting is being lined up for some time next week to discuss what this may look like, if possible at all.