A62 to Cooper Bridge Corridor Improvement Scheme - first consultation

Update August 2023

The A62 Cooper Bridge Corridor Improvement scheme is currently developing the early stages of its business case.

As a part of this, and for future business case development, further public consultation would take place.

In terms of timescales, should the future business case be accepted, work could start on site in late 2025.

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Public consultation for the A62 to Cooper Bridge Corridor Improvement Programme Scheme took place from 7 June - 18 July 2021. A report has been produced that includes all the feedback received during the consultation period. The report can be found here.

Next steps

A copy of our consultation report, summarising the response to our latest consultation can be found here, we are now using the feedback received to influence our designs, where possible, before submitting our Outline Business Case to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Subject to securing approval and the necessary funding to proceed with the scheme we will then develop our detailed design and planning application.

We will hold another public consultation on our final designs before we submit our planning application. Subject to securing all necessary consents and funding we expect to begin construction in 2024.

If you haven’t done so already we encourage you to sign-up on Your Voice to be kept informed of future activity.

The information below was presented during the public consultation (7 June - 18 July 2021).

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The story so far….

In December 2018 we launched a public engagement on initial proposals to construct a link road between the A62 at Bradley and the A644 Wakefield Road, to reduce congestion in the Cooper Bridge area.

Whilst there was support for those proposals, there were also concerns raised about some elements of the designs and the wider environmental impacts of the plans. Additionally, since then Kirklees Council has declared a climate emergency putting an even greater focus on the environmental impact of any plans.

So, since early 2019 we have been reviewing how we can develop our designs to best balance these issues and address the transport problems in this location.

This has included considering new options which do not provide a link road, but instead include making improvements to the existing network to reduce congestion whilst minimising the environmental impacts.

Cooper Bridge Junction

Congestion, long journey times and poor air quality is currently experienced in the Cooper Bridge area and on the A644 and A62 nearby. The A62 and A644 have been identified as key routes which, through improvements, could support the creation of jobs in the area, relieve congestion, reduce journey times for general traffic, and improve pedestrian and cycling accessibility.

Kirklees Council, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Calderdale Council, has considered four options aimed at enhancing the existing network at Cooper Bridge and Bradley junctions to improve journey times and reliability along the A62 and A644 routes.

We have now identified our preferred option and would like to hear your thoughts on our proposals.

Our plans aim to:

• relieve congestion and improve journey times and reliability
• support economic and housing growth
• improve road safety
• improve pedestrian and cyclist facilities to encourage more use
• support the improvement of air quality

Preferred Option

To help us identify a preferred option we have considered the likely effects of four options. These assessments have helped us to understand how the different options might improve journey times and impact the local environment. Using this information, we have now selected a preferred option. You can view plans of our preferred option here (opens in a new page).

The options we considered were similar due to the physical constraints in the area. Our preferred option includes a number of interventions that were included in all options, these include:

• widening of the A62 Leeds Road between Bradley junction and Oak Road
• widening of Colne Bridge Road on the approach to Bradley junction
• widening of the A644 Wakefield Road on the approach to M62 junction 25
• improving signal timings and changes to lane markings and permitted movements at Bradley junction
• changing Oak Road to one-way
• improving pedestrian and cycle facilities throughout, including new signal-controlled crossings and segregated cycle facilities on Leeds Road, Oak Road, Cooper Bridge Road and at Cooper Bridge junction

In addition to the above changes, our preferred option also includes:

• creating a new three-armed roundabout at Cooper Bridge junction with dedicated left turn links
• new landscaped areas and sustainable drainage systems
• widening of Cooper Bridge Road between Bradley and Cooper Bridge junctions to provide two lanes of traffic in each direction

We produced the proposed indicative cross sections drawing which can be viewed here (opens in a new page).

Discounted Options

In addition to our preferred option, we considered a new junction layout at Cooper Bridge instead of a roundabout and this plan can be viewed here (opens in a new page). We also explored providing improvements at Cooper Bridge and Bradley junctions without widening Cooper Bridge Road (these were options 3 and 4 - these plans have not been provided here as they are very similar). However, our assessments showed the widening of Cooper Bridge Road helps to better address the transport problems in this area therefore these options have been discounted.

HAVE YOUR SAY

You can share your views on our plans by completing the survey below.

We have provided a list of FAQs to answer your questions, but if you have any other questions, you can submit them on this page and the project team will respond.

Alternatively, you can join our virtual event to hear a presentation from the project team. Please visit www.youtube.com and search ‘Kirklees Live’ at 5.30pm on 23 June 2021 to watch and ask questions. Unable to join online? Please call MetroLine on 0113 245 7676 to make arrangements to join by phone. You can also watch the video later on our You Tube channel at www.youtube.com/user/Kirkleesvideos.

Contact us via

• Email: yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk
• Post: FREEPOST Consultation Team (WYCA) (no stamp required)
• Telephone: 0113 245 7676 (Metroline)

This consultation will close on 18 July 2021.