Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire have announced that it has reached agreement on its Highways Capital Plan for 2025-27.
The plan sets out £37.2 million of council investment over two years. It covers all aspects of highways essential works including road surfacing and potholes; street lighting; structures; road safety; flood management and drainage; traffic signals; car parking and cycling facilities and making public transport a realistic option for more people.
In addition, a successful bid in 2024 to the Department for Transport resulted in the council being allocated £500,000 from the Green Light Fund (GLF) for traffic signal improvements which is focusing on the A62 Corridor at Cooper Bridge, and £875,000 from the City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) for the Kirklees Speed Limit Review.
A further £72,600, a share of the West Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s Traffic Signals Obsolescence Grant, is also available to replace defective traffic signal equipment.
Councillor Munir Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and Highwayss, said:
“Maintaining and improving our highways network is essential to making Kirklees a great place to live, work and visit. Our ongoing investment improves access links between our towns and villages, creating more opportunities for education, employment, and training.
“Investing in highways assets across Kirklees is key to supporting people in making the shift towards other travel options.”
Local Public Rights of Way (PROW) would see better signage, boardwalks, footbridges and handrails, along with improved drainage and vegetation management along the 700 miles of rural and urban footpaths, bridleways and byways, making them more accessible.
Funding for Urban Traffic Control (UTC) would support new traffic light technology, prioritising junction and crossing sites for replacement, helping to improve journey times and prioritise public transport, pedestrians, and cyclists at individual junctions and along key corridors.
The Safer Roads programme will continue to encourage a shift towards more active modes of transport as we make improvements to our infrastructure including pedestrian crossings, and safety on school routes, as well as further speed management initiatives.
CRSTS funding is allocated to drive economic growth, improve services and de-carbonise transport. This can be achieved with better investment in asset management and maintenance, and through the provision and promotion of safe, inclusive, and accessible active travel and public transport, to more ambitious transformational projects like Transforming Cities initiative.
The funding will help to maintain and improve the condition of the highway network across Kirklees which comprises of 1900km of roads; 2333km of pavements and cycleway; 754 bridges, larger culverts, subways and retaining/other walls; 58,805 streetlights; 250km established drains; 75,653 gullies, plus other items such as road markings and street furniture.
(Pic: Duncan Cuthbertson/Dreamstime.com)
