A PLANNED pre Christmas full closure of the A59 at Kex Gill has been moved to next year.

The current, traffic light controlled, single lane system, to allow repairs to take place, is also expected to be lifted sometime next month.

The road between Skipton and Harrogate at Kex Gill has been single lane only since July. Before then, it was completely closed for several weeks after movement was discovered in the carriageway in the late spring.

A week long, full closure, had been expected to take place next month for the road to be re-surfaced.

But, the discovery of voids in the retaining wall during ongoing repairs has caused delays, and the rescheduling of the re-surfacing.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for highways, said the decision had been taken because businesses in the area had been assured there would be no closures close to Christmas.

"Therefore, on conclusion of the repair work only patching of the road will take place," he said.

"The full resurfacing and drainage work will now be carried out next spring under a short closure. We expect the current temporary traffic controls to be removed before Christmas and for the road to be fully open ahead of the holidays.”

The A59 is an important trans-Pennine route, but with a history of instability in the land around the road at Kex Gill.

County Councillor Stanley Lumley, a member of the Kex Gill steering group, said: “I think it is a sensible and most welcome decision to delay the road closure at this important time of year for businesses and the local economy.

"The A59 is not only an important trans-Pennine route but it is extremely important to residents for their daily commutes and day-to-day travel requirements and this decision will not interrupt the increased demand over the holiday period.”

The council’s ultimate solution is to realign the section of the A59 to the other side of the valley. A preferred route was agreed by the council in July, and a full business case for funding is being prepared for submission to the Department for Transport.

If all goes to plan, it is anticipated construction could start next year, with the road taking 14 months to complete.