A £23m scheme to improve one of the main routes into Bradford city centre has moved to the next stage – but some major aspects of the works have been dropped.
Improvements to Wakefield Road have been planned for years, and would see new pedestrian crossings, bus lanes, cycle lanes and tree planting along the busy route, says The Yorkshire Post.
At a meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) last month, members voted to release a further £1.28m for the scheme to progress to the next stage – the development of a full business case needed before work starts. The target is for work on the road to start in February 2027 and be completed by March 2028. WYCA says that as well as making the road safer it will reduce bus journey times and lead to a 25 per cent boost in people using buses along the route.
A report to members revealed that the estimated cost of the works has risen by over £3m from £20m in 2024 to £23m. Funding will come from National Government through its Transport for City Regions fund.
The project will include:
- 89 kilometres (km) of inbound bus lane from Hall Lane to Lorne Street,
- 98km of outbound bus lane from Hall Lane to Lorne Street,
- 85km of segregated bi-directional cycle tracks,
- 25 additional trees planted,
- 2,032 square metres of soft landscaping and public space improvements, including the filling of four subway (underpass) systems
- Four new toucan crossings,
- Three new pelican crossings,
- Two new zebra crossings,
- One new and two upgraded parallel crossings,
- 12 upgraded bus stops
However, some aspects of the scheme have now been dropped. Initially the improvements would have involved the Bowling Back Lane roundabout becoming signalised. The report says this has been scrapped after surveys found it would delay traffic too much, plus the length of new bus lane along the route has been halved since the initial proposals.
The report to members said:
“The scheme aims to create a high-quality, sustainable transport corridor connecting the residential areas of south-east Bradford to key employment and education centres. Improvements to bus user experience will be delivered through bus stop enhancements such as provision of up to 3.2 metre wide inbound and outbound bus lanes and bus priority at junctions.
“Walking, cycling and wheeling improvements include segregated cycleway provision from Tong Street to Hall Lane and improved safe crossing facilities and side road treatments which involve providing a continuous footway across the side road, along the length of the corridor.
“Four existing subways, which are underpasses used for crossing the road, will be infilled, and surface level crossings will be provided.
“The scheme also includes soft landscaping and 25 new trees.”
The WYCA report says the major targets include reducing bus journey times by two minutes along the route by 2032, a 25 per cent increase in bus boardings along the route by 2032, a “reduction in number of trips by private car,” a 50 per cent reduction in people killed or seriously injured on the road by by 2030 and a 50 per cent increase in cyclists by 2032.
(Picture: Claire Jackson/Dreamstime.com)
