Major work to start in Calderdale on one of the country's most 'dangerous’ road

Calderdale Council confirmed that initial improvements on the A6033 from Hebden Bridge to Oxenhope will begin next month.

The stretch of the A6033 is rated by the Road Safety Foundation as being in the top 50 of ‘A’ roads in England where the risk of road traffic incidents resulting in death or serious injury is the highest.

The Council has successfully secured funding from the Government’s Safer Roads Fund to implement a series of road safety measures on the route.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources, Councillor Jane Scullion, said: “The A6033 from Hebden Bridge is a narrow road with frequent bends and walls close to the carriageway, all of which make severe accidents more likely.

“We’re committed to making our roads safer and the funding from the Safer Roads Fund is being used to introduce a number of improvement measures to one of our higher risk roads.

“We’re aware that the required closures may cause disruption, but by limiting the hours of work we hope to reduce the impact on those travelling on this route as much as possible.”

Initial work on the project is now beginning, with parapet walls being raised on the section above Midgehole Road.

Two sections of the road are also being resurfaced during September.

As the road is so narrow, it will be necessary to completely close the route during the works, to ensure the safety of workers.

The Council has said it recognises the disruption this closure may cause due to the lengthy diversion, so is limiting the working hours to minimise disruption as much as possible.

Work will be taking place from the junction with Old Road to Bedlam bends from Monday September 9 to FridaySeptember 20, with the road closure in place from Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm.

Further work is taking place from the junction with Midgehole Road to Akroyd Lane from Friday September 16 to Friday September 27, with the closure also in place from Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.

More extensive work on the route is planned for next year, including improved roadside protection, better signage and revised road markings. It’s anticipated that further closures will be required for this work during summer/early autumn 2020.