Traffic lights removed on major route into Lancaster after £2m project

Electricity North West said a power network upgrade - which has seen 7km of underground power cables replaced - is near completion.

Now the new cables have been laid, temporary traffic lights in Caton Road have been removed five days ahead of schedule and the project is expected to be complete by early August.

George Manton, project manager at Electricity North West, said: “The end is in sight for the major power network upgrade for Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding areas.

“It has been a complex process and I’m really pleased we’ve successfully been able to replace cables that had been in place since the 1950s.

“We proactively chose to undertake the work rather than waiting for any potential faults that may occur due to the aging cables. Now they are place, we’re planning to energise the cables in the coming weeks.

“I want to thank residents for their patience and co-operation, we’ve had a number of traffic management systems in place throughout the project and they have now been removed from Caton Road ahead of schedule.”

This major investment in the city’s electricity infrastructure follows the £2.6m flood defence work at Caton Road substation completed by Electricity North West. The work has lifted key equipment three metres from the ground to ensure it would not be affected by flood water following damage caused when the River Lune burst its banks during Storm Desmond in December 2015.