A59 Kex Gill Improvement Scheme

About the event

Our UK Civils project at Kex Gill in North Yorkshire is realigning 4km of road through some of the most environmentally sensitive land in the UK. The area has a long history of landslides, which lead to unpredictable road closures and detours of up to 40km.

The road is being constructed through a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and is adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) both of which are protected under European and UK law, therefore the level of detail required to mitigate impacts is enormous. The site also has red listed (critically endangered) birds, reptiles and mammals to contend with.

Some of the measures the site team has had to take to protect wildlife include:

• Nesting birds: regular visits by ecologists provide advice on required buffer-zone sizes based on bird species. We’ve also installed bird boxes, the location of which are identified by the project’s ecological consultants.
• Fish habitats: the project features culverts and a realigned watercourse to support fish habitats, which has involved fish rescues.
• Barn owls: raising of the road’s elevation through the valley meant it intersected with the owls’ flight path. Protective measures have been taken, including the construction of dedicated barn owl towers.
• Bats: the site of the A59 realignment has 188 trees, of which 22 have a high suitability for bat roosts and 102 have moderate suitability. Therefore habitat creation mitigation measures have been incorporated into the works.
• Otters: protective fencing has been erected around pump sites, and noise emissions from these pumps are being minimised as much as possible.

A well-known heritage feature of the Kex Gill area are its drystone walls, many of which have had to be deconstructed and reconstructed during the project. Where additional stone was required, the project team sourced additional stone from local farmers.