First phase of £120m in road improvements completed

THE FIRST phase of road improvements on a major route into Halifax have finally been completed after more than a year.

The improvement works between Salterhebble and Shaw Hill are the first project being delivered as part of the £120m A629 improvement programme, funded by the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund.

Coun Barry Collins, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic strategy, said: “The completion of work on Salterhebble Hill is a major milestone in the work to tackle congestion on the A629 between Halifax and Huddersfield.

“The project has been challenging and complex, but I’m pleased that we will now start to see the benefits, with better managed traffic flow and improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.”

Final milestones have been reached with the seeding of the innovative ‘living wall’ alongside Salterhebble Hill, the reopening of Dryclough Lane and resurfacing of 3km of highway that runs from Salterhebble to the new Shaw Hill junction.

Smart ‘mova’ technology will now be installed on all of the traffic signals, which will monitor traffic flow throughout the area and adapt the signals to help keep vehicles moving.

As part of the project, 5,000 tonnes of soil have been removed to widen the highway to four lanes.