Repairs to enable Park Road in Elland to reopen as soon as possible this year will soon be underway.
Park Road, a key route between Halifax, Elland and Brighouse, was severely damaged due to a landslip caused by flooding in February 2020.
A 50-metre long crack and some smaller tension cracks in the road meant that it had to be fully closed for safety reasons.
Calderdale Council sealed the crack when it was safe to do so after the flooding, to prevent further weakening of the slope. The Council has continued to monitor the road, look into repair options and seek funding for the major reconstruction work.
The Council has now appointed a specialist contractor, Esh Construction Ltd, to carry out the complex repairs, after it was successfully awarded £1.8 million from the Government’s Getting Building Fund following approval from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority on 4 March 2021.
Site investigations and ground clearing are expected to begin in mid-April 2021. The main repairs are due to start in May and will take around 16 weeks, depending on the outcome of site investigations, the weather and COVID-19 restrictions.
Park Road also serves the site of the proposed Elland Rail Station. In addition to the road repairs, the Getting Building funding will also be used to create new pedestrian and cycling facilities to link with the proposed new rail station and Elland town centre.
Shelagh O’Neill, Calderdale Council’s Director of Regeneration and Strategy, said:
“We’re really pleased that work can soon begin to repair and reopen Park Road. We know this is a major route for local people and that its closure has caused a lot of disruption.
“The closure was essential because of the massive damage that Storm Ciara sadly caused in February 2020. Our teams have been working very hard to carry out complex site investigations and arrange major repairs.
“Thanks to our successful bid for Government funding and the appointment of Esh Construction as contractor, we can soon get to work on the reconstruction and new walking and cycling facilities.”
Steven Conn, Divisional Director at Esh Construction, said:
“Esh are pleased to have won the project to deliver a solution to long-term landslip issues and the most recent slip following Storm Ciara. We will be working closely with Calderdale Council to design and construct a solution to reopen the road in as short a time as possible to end the disruption to road users.”