THE A59 at Kex Gill between Skipton and Harrogate - which is on schedule to be replaced by a new stretch of road in two years time - is set to be repaired and re-surfaced at a cost of £550,000.

A temporary 40mph speed limit on the Skipton side of Kex Gill , brought in earlier this year because of the uneven road surface, has now been extended towards Blubberhouses, taking in all of the section of road prone to landslips.

Repair and resurfacing of the road is part of North Yorkshire Council’s highways capital forward programme which was agreed earlier this year, but with a date for the work to be carried out yet to be confirmed.

The Kex Gill repair scheme was one of 13 to be added to the programme, including the £54,000 resurfacing of Newmarket Street, Skipton, following additional £6.5million funding from the Department for Transport. The additional funding takes the total amount of government money awarded to North Yorkshire to £46.5m for 2023/24.

The work at Kex Gill will include in addition to repair and resurfacing, ‘landslip work’, which identifies problems through regular inspections before they happen. Kex Gill has suffered repeated landslips over the years, some of which have seen the road closed for several weeks, involving long diversions for motorists.

The realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill will cost £68.8m and will involve a new three mile stretch of road. It is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2025.