Two-year-old Shrewsbury town centre pavement ripped up to replace gas main
Work which has seen some of Shrewsbury's newest pavements ripped up to prevent gas leaks is expected to last for several weeks.
Residents of the town will have noticed a section of the pavement outside the Market Hall on Bellstone has been fenced off, with a number of paving slabs removed.
The pavement was resurfaced as part of a £12m project in 2021 which saw work carried out across the town centre – including resurfacing the entire of Pride Hill.
The latest work is being completed by Cadent Gas, which is replacing a cast iron gas main on Bellstone, with the work expected to last until March 1.
Shropshire Council said the decision to carry out the work on the pavement meant there was no need for a disruptive town centre road closure.
It has also said that a specialist reinstatement contractor had been appointed to make sure the pavement is put back as it was.
In a statement in December Shropshire Council confirmed it had asked for the work to be carried out.
It said: "There have been a high number of gas leaks on Bellstone and, following a request by Shropshire Council, Cadent has now agreed to replace the gas main outside the Market Hall to take away the risk from their network and prevent further subsequent leaks.
"Following trial hole work undertaken by Cadent during the summer, it has been established that the gas main can be replaced by using ‘insertion techniques’, enabling Cadent to carry out the works in a less intrusive way by excavating the footpath and loading bay on Bellstone. This will avoid the need for disruptive traffic management measures within the town centre.
"Every effort is being made to minimise disruption while work is carried out, and a contingency plan is in place in case it does become necessary to close the road due to unforeseen issues."
It added: "Cadent has appointed McPhillips (Wellington) Ltd as their specialist reinstatement contractor, to rectify the previous surface defects on Bellstone and to undertake the final reinstatement upon the completion of the work."
