Councillors are being urged to approve additional funding of £11.7m for “essential and unforeseen” changes to the A59 Kex Gill realignment scheme in North Yorkshire.
The project, being delivered by John Sisk & Son, will see a new section of bypass constructed between Skipton and Harrogate at Bubberhouses – at a point where the road has been repeatedly closed due to landslips.
A report to North Yorkshire Council’s Executive Committee recommended that councillors approve a further £11.7m when they meet next Tuesday (13 May).
This extra funding would raise the cost of the job to £82.5m.
The report said the extra money will cover unexpected “essential and unforeseen” issues. These include the cost of design changes and additional work as a result of changing from a piled solution to an earth-reinforced embankment solution.
In addition, a larger-than-expected volume of material – 200,000 tonnes, according to the report – has to be removed, transported and disposed of from the site.
Work on the new 2.4-mile stretch of road began in 2023.
“The project still has a main works programme duration of 14 months to run under a sectional completion phase, targeting the new road opening in late June 2026, followed by a final completion phase to extinguish the existing affected A59 and carry out landscaping through to March 2027,” the report said.
The extra proposed funding includes £1.5m for additional costs from the council’s design and management consultant and an “additional contingency allowance for potential pending compensation events forecast as the scheme continues”.
Events that have already arisen included a delay in funding from the Department for Transport, according to the report. This resulted in the planned earthworks timetable being delayed, incurring additional costs, the report said.
Other issues have seen a watercourse needing to be redesigned to comply with planning conditions and Environment Agency requirements. Poor ground conditions were also encountered in several locations across the site, which required removal and replacement with load-bearing material.
As part of the project, 12 new culverts are being installed to ensure water flows under the new road safely. The job also includes new bridleways and footpaths, natural stone walls, two balancing ponds and the planting of 12,000 trees.
Sisk has carried out other projects in the area, including a £30m job as part of the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme. It is also delivering major infrastructure work for the York Central regeneration project.
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Nicola Harley