Vital repair work to the A55 Kneeshaw Lupton underbridge eastbound carriageway will come nearly a year after the last planned daytime lane closures on the route between J11 and the English border, Transport Minister Ken Skates has said.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Following successful repairs to the Kneeshaw Lupton westbound carriageway last year, which were completed ahead of schedule, improvements to the eastbound side between Junction 23 Llanddulas and Junction 22 Old Colwyn are now needed.
Work to install a contraflow will begin on Sunday 8 September in late evening after traffic flows have eased. The contraflow will see a single lane of traffic travel in each direction on the westbound carriageway 24 hours a day for up to 5 weeks whilst work is carried out on the eastbound side.
Essential work to the Kneeshaw Lupton underbridge will have resulted in the only planned daytime lane closures on the A55 from J11 Bangor to the English border since April 2017.
Similar to last year’s work, renewal of bridge deck waterproofing requires favourable weather conditions which is why improvements will take place during this period. It also comes after the end of the school summer holidays and will be completed by 6AM on Friday 11 October which is before the beginning of the school half term break.
Work will be taking place on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week basis to ensure it is completed as quickly as possible.
Due to the nature of the improvements, 2-metre high board will be installed with work taking place behind these. This includes critical repairs to the bridge joints which will involve hydro-demolition and deck preparation and must be carried out under cover and out of sight of the public to ensure their safety.
Signs will be erected in advance to notify drivers of the works and a 40mph speed restriction will be in place whilst the improvements are carried out.
Transport Minister Ken Skates said:
“Having successfully completed work to the westbound carriageway of the Kneeshaw Lupton underbridge in October 2018, which was in a much worse condition than expected when work began, improvements to the eastbound side are now absolutely essential.
“Earlier this year I made a commitment there would be no planned daytime lane closures between Junction 11 and the English border until at least September and I am delighted we will have delivered on that pledge. When this work begins it will be nearly a year since the last planned daytime lane closure.
“Full closures of carriageways are only taken when totally necessary and ultimately the safety of the travelling public is and always will be the number one priority. For this work, as with last year’s, that step is unquestionably required and one which must be taken to protect all road users and the workforce.
“Repairs to the westbound carriageway were completed ahead of schedule, and although that can’t be guaranteed again, I can assure everyone the dedicated workforce will be aiming to do the same this year and will be working every hour of the day and night until it is completed.
“I fully understand that nobody enjoys roadworks which can cause disruption, but this work must take place to ensure the safety of everyone using the road and this is a matter on which I will not compromise.
“This is the final phase of improvements to the Kneeshaw Lupton underbridge which will affect road users and I would like to once again ask and indeed thank them for their patience and understanding whilst this vital work is carried out.
“We will continue to make every effort to ensure any disruption on our trunk roads is kept to a minimum.”
Updates of the essential improvement work will be available on the Traffic Wales website and twitter page (@TrafficWalesN).