Bad weather causes minor delay to major road
scheme
Prolonged heavy rain in April has led to the threat of a minor
delay in completion of the Brambling Fields junction
on the A64 at Norton.
The project was scheduled for completion by the end of June, but
April's significant rain has made parts of the site
inaccessible. As a result, North Yorkshire County Council and
the Highways Agency have warned that the completion date is likely
to slip.
However, the contractors working on the important new junction
are confident that the scheme will be completed well in time for
the start of the school summer holidays, when traffic flows on the
A64 – a main route to the Yorkshire coast - traditionally see a
marked increase.
"The prolonged rainfall made ground conditions very difficult on
the site," said County Councillor Gareth Dadd, Executive Member for
Highways.
"April's rain was unusual in its intensity and duration, and
unfortunately the consequence has been that the contractors will
suffer a small delay while the ground becomes less saturated.
"However, the contractors are confident that the good progress
made so far on the scheme means that the delay to the overall
project will be limited."
Councillor Keith Knaggs, the Leader of Ryedale District Council
– which is jointly funding the scheme with the County Council and
the Highways Agency – said: "There has been nothing that we can do
about this unusually heavy and extensive rain, and this has
inevitably had an impact where major earthmoving is involved.
"Thankfully the delay is relatively small and we will soon see
the opening of this crucial highways scheme within the budget
allocated. This investment will provide Malton and Norton
with major benefits for decades to come, and allow much through
traffic to avoid the heart of the towns."