Plans for the fourth project in the £120m, A629 improvement programme between Halifax and Huddersfield are moving forward, following approvals by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Investment Committee.
The project complements the work of the other stages of the A629 scheme being delivered by Calderdale and Kirklees Councils, through improvements to walking, cycling and bus travel along the corridor.
These measures will contribute to the Council’s work to tackle air pollution issues and continue the fight against climate change. They will also support local economic growth as well as reducing journey times.
At the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee meeting earlier this month, members approved funding for land acquisition and to develop the project proposals to a detailed design stage.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet will now discuss the process of purchasing the land required for the project and consider granting authority to begin negotiations with landowners.
To help shape the detailed plans for the scheme, a public consultation was held during February and March 2019. This gave people the opportunity to review the early proposals, meet the project team and ask questions.
Overall, feedback for the project was positive, with the majority of respondents expecting that the proposals would improve journeys for all modes of transport. The comments received will be used to develop the detailed, full business case proposals.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources, Cllr Jane Scullion, said:
“I’m pleased that we’re now at the stage where we can prepare detailed proposals for phase four of the A629 programme. These plans will incorporate the important feedback we received in the consultation earlier this year into more detailed designs, supporting further development of the scheme.
“We’ll now discuss the next steps for the project, which would include purchasing the land required to achieve the scheme’s full range of benefits.”
Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee said:
“The £100 million of improvement work to the A629 between Halifax and Huddersfield is the largest overall scheme in the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund programme.
“Like all of our Transport Fund schemes, the improvements along the A629 are designed to support local economic growth and new jobs by reducing costly congestion and the pollution it causes.”
The project will be discussed at the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 29 July at Halifax Town Hall, starting at 6pm.
The scheme is being funded the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund. The fund is part of the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
For progress updates and more information about other exciting developments in Calderdale, visit www.calderdalenextchapter.co.uk(external link)