Electricity provider to begin second phase of £30m investment
Northern Powergrid will be starting the second phase of its £30m investment to improve the reliability and resilience of the electricity network serving Bradford on Monday 17 August.
Since October 2019, the company has been working on phase one of this programme.
It has seen it digging in the road to lay 26 miles of new underground electricity cables with a route length of 4.5 miles from a major substation in Wilsden through Allerton, Lower Grange, Crossley Hall and Fairweather Green to Cemetery Road near Four Lane Ends. This work will be completed in October.
Phase two will be ongoing until the end of 2022 and involves excavating in the road to lay a further 56 miles of underground electricity cables with a route length of six miles from the substation in Wilsden to another substation on Canal Road near the city centre and an electricity tower located on King’s Road.
This involves digging in the road along sections of Wilsden Road, Haworth Road, Toller Lane, Heaton Park Drive, Heaton Road, Oak Lane, Manningham Lane, Queen’s Road, Station Road, Canal Road and King’s Road.
Having completed work along a section of Lane Side, Wilsden during May/June, Northern Powergrid is now about to start on the next section of the Phase 2 route along Haworth Road, Sandy Lane.
Steve McDonald, Northern Powergrid’s general manager for the West Yorkshire Region, said: “We’ve already been working in Bradford for almost a year, during which time we’ve experienced a great deal of support and co-operation from our local customers and stakeholders for which we are very grateful.
“At the end of the day, although our £30m investment will ultimately improve the reliability and resilience of the electricity supply to around two thirds of the city, we know that our work can also cause a degree of disruption while it’s ongoing.
“We will, of course, continue to work with Bradford Council to try and minimise this disruption, as well as looking at how we can provide support for the communities we’re working in as we move along the phase two route through Sandy Lane, Heaton and Manningham.
“We’ll also be continuing to follow the latest public health and Government advice to keep our employees, contractors and customers safe and our work will be carried out in line with the latest COVID-19 health and safety guidance.
“With this in mind, we’re asking customers not to approach our teams if they see them working unless it’s an electricity emergency – and, if they do, to always maintain two metres social distancing.”
