Everything we know about the Calderdale road closure that will have taken 20 months to fix

Calderdale Council has confirmed that the main section of major repair works to allow Park Road in Elland to reopen will begin this week.

However it will still take a few more months before the road is open to traffic with the Council aiming to complete the work by autumn.

The stretch of highway is a key link between Brighouse, Elland and Halifax.

Flooding cause a landslip in February 2020 and severely damaged the road.

It resulted in a 50-metre long crack and some smaller tension cracks in the road.

Initial works to prevent further damage took place and a full repair plan was agreed after confirmation of the successful awarding of £1.8 million from the Government’s Getting Building Fund, following approval from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in May 2021.

Subsequent preparation, including site investigation and ground testing work, has now enabled the main repair work to start from this week.

This will begin with ground clearance work, including the removal of the invasive species, Himalayan Balsam.

Following this, major excavation work will take place to a depth of three metres, including through a layer of hard granite setts which have been discovered as part of trial holes dug in investigation works.

For safety reasons, this work will be carried out behind hoardings, although a pedestrian route will be maintained throughout.

During the excavation work, contractors and Council staff will review any implications for utility cables and is working with BT services to identify cabling in the excavation area.

Piling, concrete pouring and drainage works will then take place which will enable the road to reopen. It’s estimated that the work will be finished and the road able to reopen from October this year.

Park Road also serves the site of the proposed Elland Rail Station. In addition to the road repairs, Transforming Cities funding will also be used to create new pedestrian and cycling facilities to link with the proposed new rail station and Elland town centre.

* Support your Halifax Courier by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe