First aerial view of the next phase of the £120m A629 scheme revealed

Planning permission has now been granted for the next phase of the £120 million improvement programme of the highway between Halifax and Huddersfield, which will see work take place around the Calder and Hebble junction.

Calderdale Council has said the A629 is a key route through the borough and the planned major upgrade will provide a 30 per cent reduction in journey times, make bus journeys quicker and more practical, and promote active travel and safer journeys.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources, Councillor Jane Scullion, said: “This important next phase in the A629 improvement programme will have a real positive impact on existing bottlenecks around the bottom of Salterhebble Hill and the Calder and Hebble junction.

“It will also improve access to Copley, Sowerby Bridge and Halifax, which will boost our economic growth by making the area more attractive to business investment, subsequently creating more jobs.”

The improvement plans, funded by the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, focus on the key areas of Huddersfield Road, Stainland Road and Wakefield Road.

SEE MORE: Virtual reality video and breakdown of plans to transform Elland bypass and the Calder and Hebble junction

A new link road will be created via a bridge spanning the Calder and Hebble Navigation to a roundabout on Stainland Road. This project will also include a full width footway and cycle path, and a new northbound bus lane on Stainland Road.

The planning application for the project was approved by committee allowing the project to move to the next stage.

The processes of purchasing the land required for the project will now gain momentum and tendering for the detailed design resource are planned for this summer, following which the Full Business Case will be submitted to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for approval, early in 2020.

Councillor Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: “In its entirety, the A629 improvements scheme to improve journeys between Halifax and Huddersfield is the single largest project in our West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund programme and it is already helping to reduce costly and polluting congestion and boost conditions for people who cycle and walk.”

The West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund is supported through the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.