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Traffic to use new A59 Kex Gill route for first time next week

Thursday, 16 July 2026 21:28

The A59 at Kex Gill. (Image: North Yorkshire Council).

Drivers travelling between Harrogate and Skipton will begin using part of the new A59 Kex Gill route from next week.

Traffic is due to be switched onto a section of the new road from Wednesday (22nd July) as work on the long-awaited £83.5 million scheme enters its final stages.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place while contractors complete the connections between the new and existing sections of the A59.

As part of the work, Hall Lane will be closed at its junction with the A59 until the end of August. Access for residents and businesses will be maintained via local diversion routes.

The Kex Gill realignment has been one of North Yorkshire's biggest highways projects, creating a new 2.5-mile stretch of road to replace the existing landslip-prone section between Blubberhouses and Skipton.

The current route has been affected by repeated landslips over the years, leading to lengthy closures and costly repairs.

The new alignment has been designed to provide a safer and more reliable route for motorists travelling between Harrogate, Skipton and the Yorkshire Dales.

Once traffic has been transferred, work will continue on completing the remaining tie-ins before the full scheme opens later this summer.

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