The first phase of construction work to improve the A629 road between Halifax town centre and Huddersfield is due to start on site next week.
From Tuesday 2 August 2016, a four-month scheme will begin to remodel the busy A629 Huddersfield Road / Shaw Hill / Free School Lane junction.
Work will involve creating a new, wider road layout, extra lanes, dedicated cycleways and pedestrian crossings.
The aim is to reduce congestion and delays, increase safety and improve opportunities for active travel like cycling and walking. The roads will also be more capable of coping with anticipated future growth in visitors and business opportunities as Halifax town centre undergoes exciting regeneration in the coming years.
This is part of the Leeds City Region’s West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund programme to reduce travel times on the A629 route from Halifax to Huddersfield, and improve connectivity to and from the M62 to support economic growth and ensure Halifax remains a place where businesses want to invest and people want to live.
The £1 billion West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund is being invested over 10 years in more than 30 transport infrastructure schemes across West Yorkshire and York, designed to create around 20,000 new jobs and add £2.4bn a year to the economy (by the mid-2030s).
The A629 is the largest individual scheme in the programme and will be delivered through different phases. The remodelling of Shaw Hill junction is a ground-breaking milestone, being only the second Transport Fund scheme throughout West Yorkshire to start on site, and launching over £150 million of investment in Calderdale during the next decade.
Cllr Barry Collins, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said:
“With the help of the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, we are making unprecedented investment in local transport infrastructure, which will have a lasting positive impact on residents, visitors, businesses, traffic flow and the economy.
“The Council’s first priority is the A629 corridor, from the Elland bypass through to Halifax town centre, focusing on tackling congestion, reducing journey times, benefiting the environment and making it safer and easier for people to walk and cycle.”
As part of the junction works, Shaw Hill slip road will be temporarily closed (southbound only, towards Huddersfield between Free School Lane and A629 Huddersfield Road) from Tuesday 2 August for about eight weeks. Motorists are advised to plan an alternative route. The diversion will be via the Shaw Hill / A629 crossroads into Free School lane, then following Skircoat Green / Dryclough Lane. An advance diversion route from the eastern side of Halifax town centre will follow Prescott Street to reach the A629 southbound.
There will be other temporary road closures in this area over the four months – details will be made available for each.
Maps and an overview of the scheme are available at www.calderdalenextchapter.co.uk(external link)