ONE of Huddersfield’s busiest roads is to be closed in one direction for up to nine weeks while a controversial £950,000 bus lane is constructed.
The outward-bound carriageway of Manchester Road in Longroyd Bridge will be shut until mid-March. The closure is expected to start on Monday, but bad weather may delay it.
This means traffic leaving town heading towards the Colne Valley area will have to go down Chapel Hill and along St Thomas’ Road instead.
The traffic lights at the junction of St Thomas’ Road and Manchester Road will cause long hold-ups for traffic and delay journeys – especially at teatimes.
Manchester Road will be shut between St Thomas’ Road to its junction with Longroyd Lane – but traffic will still be able to head into town.
A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “This work will help us to deliver more reliable journey times for all vehicles on this section of Manchester Road, including buses.
“The proposed bus lane is a key part of the Waterfront Quarter regeneration scheme as it is vital to put the right infrastructure in place.
“Due to the condition of the ground during the cold weather, we are not sure yet whether work will begin on Monday, so two-way traffic may still be maintained.
“A decision will be made on Monday.”
He added: “Traffic will be able to travel towards the town centre along Manchester Road, but traffic coming away from the town centre will be diverted down Chapel Hill and back on to Manchester Road via St Thomas’ Road.’’
The bus lane was given the green light by councillors last February – even though one of them branded it a “crackpot idea”.
The 600-metre lane runs outbound from the ring road to the Longroyd Bridge junction.
Conservative councillor Donald Firth – who represents Holme Valley South – said: “Spending £950,000 on a bus lane for less than a mile is a crackpot idea.
“We’ve got half our roads falling apart, we’ve got potholes to sort out. Let’s get the jobs done that need doing – the potholes and road maintenance.” But at the time council leader Clr Mehboob Khan said the bus lane money was not available for road maintenance – and the cash for the bus lane scheme had come from central government.
The scheme also includes resurfacing work and a computerised traffic signal system known as SCOOT – Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique – at the Longroyd Bridge junction. This responds to congestion levels.
Bus company First welcomed the decision, saying it would help up to 20 of its vehicles an hour save a minimum of two minutes per journey at peak times.
The lane will operate 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and will also be open to cyclists.
