We're preparing to carry out essential network upgrades in the Ifield Road area of West Green to ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas continues to be delivered to Crawley homes and businesses.
We'll be replacing our old metal gas mains with new plastic pipe. We'll be installing around 3km of this new, more reliable, plastic pipe from Monday 30 September, and the work is expected to be complete by Friday 13 December.
Our engineers will be replacing pipes in the following roads:
- Ifield Road
- Ewhurst Road
- Ginhams Road
- Goffs Lane
- Lodge Close
- Meadowlands
- The Dingle
- The Mardens
- Town Barn Road
- Town Mead
To ensure everyone's safety, we may need to close some of these roads to safely access and replace our pipes when we're working in each location. Signed diversions will be in place for affected motorists, but we'll try to maintain resident access where it is safe to do so.
Confirmed dates for any closures will be placed on warning signs in the area with two weeks' advance notice.
Please see our FAQs for more infomation as we upgrade our network in the area.
We understand roadworks can be frustrating. However, the new plastic pipes have a lifespan of 80 years. This means that once our work is done, Crawley residents and businesses will be able to enjoy the benefits of a safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come.
Old metal gas mains that have reached the end of their useful life need replacing with new yellow polyethylene (PE) plastic pipe designed to last 80 years.
By replacing the gas main with a plastic pipe, we decrease the risk of gas leaks and the need for disruptive unplanned road closures while engineers carry out investigations. Gas leaks also have an impact on the environment and carbon emissions. It is also a requirement from the Health and Safety Executive that all cast iron pipes are replaced.
Due to the location of the main in the road, this is the safest option for everyone. This is because once we have dug the holes that we need to work in, there is unlikely to be enough room for vehicles to pass by.
SGN and our contractors would always prefer to use traffic lights and maintain access wherever possible, and if we find there is enough room we will do this instead.
Our engineers need to carry out work to dig multiple holes up to approximately one metre deep. This needs to be done with great care to avoid damage to other utility equipment including electric cables.
Working in the hours of darkness significantly increases risks to both equipment and our workers. We’re also working with live gas and need to access customers properties which is not practical during the night.
Emergency access will be maintained where it is safe to do so. We’ve liaised with emergency services, providing them with full details of the road closure and access arrangements.
There are many reasons why our engineers may not always be visible – as well as having to take mandatory breaks, they may be inside properties working on customers internal pipework, collecting pipe and fittings, or waiting for road surfaces to set following reinstatement.
We’ve let Crawley Borough Council know about this work and we will assist them to ensure access can be kept for them to collect as usual.
As we move along the road in sections we may need to temporarily suspend parking bays. This will be carried out by Crawley Borough Council on our behalf, and notifications will be placed on the bays in advance.