Highway scheme could move forward

Members of Bradford Council’s executive will be asked to back the scheme for the junction of Canal Road and Stanley Road and allocate the funds needed to complete it when they meet on Tuesday.

Councillor Val Slater, Bradford Council’s portfolio holder for housing, planning and transport said: “The scheme is designed to bring transport benefits to this strategic corridor and also help in the delivery of the Canal Road Masterplan.”

Earlier this year the local authority was told that it has been successful in bidding for over £2.6m to fund improvements on the busy Canal Road corridor. The money will come from the Department for Transport’s Local Pinch Point Fund which is designed to target congestion hot-spots.

A further £1.14m will be provided by Bradford Council.

The scheme will involve creating a short length of dual carriageway on Canal Road and introducing traffic signals at the Stanley Road junction to improve traffic flow on Canal Road and discourage rat running through Bolton Woods.

It is hoped it will improve pedestrian and cycling facilities and support sustainable housing and employment growth in the New Bolton Woods masterplan.

The project will also be the first phase of a wider improvement of the Canal Road corridor that is likely to be funded from the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund which is currently being developed.

Work at the junction is expected to start next year and be completed by summer 2015.

All five West Yorkshire districts will have schemes supported from the fund with improvements at Thornbury Barracks in Leeds and Hipperholme crossroads in Calderdale also bringing benefits to Bradford residents and businesses as both locations are on major routes to and from the district, says Bradford Council.