Town’s £9.8m works lasting 12 months to cut 39,000 hours travel time in year

ALMOST £10M will be spent on a congestion-busting traffic scheme which is set to cut journey times in a West Yorkshire town.

Estimates of the benefits to motorists of the 12-month project on a busy commuter route in Keighley have been released by transport bosses.

Bradford Council said the Hard Ings Improvement Scheme would save an estimated 39,000 hours of travel time in the first year after it is completed.

Work is set to begin in April 2019 on the £9.8m project between the Beechcliffe and Bradford Road roundabouts.

Coun Alex Ross-Shaw, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Better roads deliver significant benefits and the Hard Ings project is no exception.

“This scheme not only delivers much shorter journey times, it improves road safety, air quality, sustainable transport and will give a boost to the local economy.

“We always look at opportunities to make environmental improvements on our projects and Hard Ings will feature better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists and more trees along the route as a result of this work.”

A report to the council’s Executive estimates that westbound journey times between the A629 and A650 will to improve by 18 per cent on weekday mornings and 31 per cent in the evenings.

Eastbound journeys times are set to reduce by 10 per cent on weekday mornings and by 70 per cent during the evening rush hour after the project opens in 2020. The scheme includes two lanes in each direction, more traffic signals and safer pedestrian cycle routes and crossings.