HS2 work will cause years of road delays
Better communication is key
BUILDING HS2 through Yorkshire will cause years of extra congestion and delays on some of the region’s busiest motorways and A-roads, a report by highspeed rail bosses has admitted.
A 250-page report summarising the environmental impact of constructing and operating the route up from the West Midlands to a new HS2 station in Leeds city centre with a connection to the East Coast Main Line approaching York explains how dozens of roads will have to be diverted, closed or realigned – first temporarily for the building of the line and in some cases permanently once it is up and running,
Work on the Phase 2b route is due to start in 2023, with the high-speed railway in operation from 2033. The route will pass close to the M1 and cross over the M1 and M18 on two viaducts at Thurcroft in South Yorkshire and go on through the southern outskirts of Leeds up to a new £500m HS2 station adjacent to the existing railway station.
The report admits construction work will cause “additional congestion and delays” on six junctions of the M1 between Sheffield and Leeds, as well as five junctions of the M621 loops which runs through Leeds to link the M1 and M62.
During building work, “temporary closures, diversions or realignments” are planned at Junction 44 of the M1 outside Leeds; the M18/M1 slip roads in South Yorkshire and the Junction 4 southbound off-slip of the M621.
To allow HS2 to run, Junction 1 of the M18 near Rotherham will have to be permanently diverted.
Dozens of A-roads in the region connecting towns and cities are also expected to be affected by delays, congestions and temporary closures, while permanent alterations will be needed to the A57, the A630 Doncaster Road; the A635 Barnsley Road; the A639 Wakefield Road; the A653 Victoria Road and the A653 Meadow Lane.
The report said: “Certain routes would be subject to significant increases in traffic flows and/or diversions for the medium to long term. Increased traffic flows and congestion may contribute to traveller stress.”
HS2 said that wherever possible, roadworks will be carried out overnight and only one junction or lane of a motorway will be closed at a time. Key routes will be worked on at different times, with work programmes scheduled to last ‘‘a few weeks’’ at a time.
An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: “We’re building a brand new high speed railway which will play a huge role in easing congestion and improving the whole transport offering for West Yorkshire. We are already working closely with major transport partners across the region, and our temporary work programmes will be scheduled to ensure that impacts to motorway and local road users are kept to a minimum. We have spent a lot of time looking at international best practice to understand the latest in design principles. We’ll apply that learning, and also look at how we can carry out construction works offsite, to reduce the amount of time we need to spend working on the road network.”
A 10-week consultation is taking place on the plans and the final plans will go before Parliament in 2020.
AT A time when more details are emerging daily about the disruption that the construction of the high-speed rail route will cause to daily life in many UK communities, including those in Yorkshire, it is reassuring to learn that the head of HS2 Ltd is aware of the need to keep the impact to a minimum.
As documents reveal that the creation of the £56bn line will involve the closures and diversion of some of the region’s busiest roads, in addition to the demolition of homes and businesses already outlined, Sir Terry Morgan recognises that his organisation needs to work even harder to make sure construction “isn’t just disruptive” and people are treated fairly if they’re inconvenienced.
While his statement in The Yorkshire Post is helpful, these words must be followed with meaningful action to mitigate the impact of HS2 on adversely affected communities in this region.
Given the scale of the infrastructure project, its challenges were always going to be formidable in spite of cross-party support for HS2 at the start of its journey. But with growing scepticism about the scheme, including concerns from some Labour MPs that the plan fails to address the economic needs of the North, the company responsible for HS2 must do a better job of making the case for the wide benefits of the line – including a “jobs and skills boom” and greater capacity on the rest of the rail network – that Sir Terry sets out today.
As plans are drawn up for how regions and cities can take advantage of HS2, the organisation has to communicate better with the wider public about both the opportunities and the inevitable disruption or risk further undermining fragile public confidence in the scheme. If Sir Terry’s team fail to do so, they will play into the hands of those opponents who believe the more pressing priority should be improvements to existing commuter services in Yorkshire.