New gas mains will last 80 years

NATIONAL Grid will replace hundreds of yards of gas mains in Oldham as part of a £96 million improvement programme.

Work starts in Huddersfield Road on Thursday and will take up to three months to complete.

Barry Street will be closed to traffic entering Huddersfield Road for two weeks with a diversion in place.

At certain times the outside lane of Huddersfield Road will be closed and the bus lane will be suspended in certain places.

John Edwards, from the North West Gas Alliance, said: “The gas pipes which run beneath the streets of Oldham have served us well but the time has now come to replace them. We know that this will be a nuisance, but the new pipes are designed to last at least 80 years once we get them in the ground.

Work on the main roads in the Oldham project has been planned in conjunction with the council.

Advance warning will be given and diversion routes will be clearly signposted. Where possible, the new plastic pipes will be inserted inside the existing metal mains to reduce the need for excavations.