Overnight work to take place on old gas main in Craven Arms
Overnight work is to take place in Craven Arms to avoid congestion and disruption on the A49 while engineers carry out essential work on an old gas main.
The county’s gas network Cadent needs to abandon a nine-metre section of ‘live’ pipe that was originally installed under Shrewsbury Road in Craven Arms, about 100 years ago.
Situated close to the entrance to Tuffins Supermarket, it was once part of a larger pipeline that carried gas from a nearby storage site to thousands of local homes.
But that plant has long since gone, and gas demand from those properties is today met by a more modern pipe network made from long-lasting, durable plastic.
Cadent's gas team will carry out the work on Saturday 10 October and will work overnight only, between 8pm and 6am, for up to nine evenings. During these work times only, traffic lights will control the flow of vehicles in the areas.
No work takes place during daytime hours (6am to 8pm) – during these hours, the traffic lights will be removed, and vehicles will travel freely in all directions, as normal.
Craig Horrocks, from Cadent, who heads the team responsible for upgrading ageing gas mains and abandoning such redundant pipes, said: “This pipe is 100 years old and removing it from the network, so that gas no longer gets into it, means we eradicate all of the safety risk.
“We’ve worked hard, with Highways England and local authorities, to make sure we can do the work in the least disruptive way possible. Limiting our work to night-time only means we can work safely to get the job done and have the road open as normal when traffic is at its busiest.”
