Yorkshire and Humber region

Yorkshire & the Humber region

Targeted programme of improvements

A1(M) Ferrybridge Hook Moor
A1(M) Wetherby Walshford These two schemes will provide large safety benefits and remove through traffic from this oldsection of the A1.

A63 Selby Bypass Will provide a safer and healthier environment in the town and relieve congestion.

A650 Bingley Relief Road Will provide a safer and healthier environment and assist redevelopment within Bingley and facilitate publictransport improvements.

A1033 Hedon Road, Hull Improvement Will relieve congestion on main access route to the port of Hull and support jobs and prosperity.

In addition, preparation work will continue to progress the following scheme, which will create better access to a major regenerationsite and improve road safety, enabling it to be taken forward without delay, subject to full appraisal and the views of the regionalplanning conference:

• A63 Melton Grade Separated Junction

Proposed studies

Subject to consultation with the regional planning conference it is proposed to undertake the studies detailed below. The outcome ofthese studies will inform consideration of transport infrastructure requirements in preparing Regional Planning Guidance, including theneed for improvements to the trunk road network.

South and West Yorkshire Motorway Box Study of problems on three north-south motorway routes northward from M1 junction 32 to Leedsand the M62, including a review of the A1 Redhouse-Ferrybridge section.

A1 Bramham to Barton Study of safety problems on the A1 including a review of the A1(M) Leeming-Scotch Corner and Dishforth-Leemingschemes removed from the trunk road programme in 1996.

Hull Study of congestion problems and possible solutions on route to port of Hull.

A66 Safety Study A study to investigate the poor safety record on this route between Scotch Corner and Penrith and toidentify options.

In addition, the following study is underway:

Trans-Pennine Strategic Environmental Assessment Study This study, being led by a consortium of local authorities with supportfrom business and Government, is considering sustainable multi-modal transport options in the trans-Pennine Corridor.

Smaller scale measures

Local Network Management Schemes aimed at improving safety will be progressed on the following routes:

• A64 Tadcaster-York
• A64 York-Scarborough
• A66 Penrith-Scotch Corner

Transport system

Yorkshire and the Humber region has a well developed trunk road network. The major north-south routes are the M1, which terminates atLeeds, and the A1(M)/A1 which traverses the length of the region. The major east-west route is the M62 which, together with theA63/A1033 on the north bank of the Humber and the M180/A180 on the south bank, provides the main trans-Pennine link and the principalaccess to the Humber ports. The A1/M1 Link Road, currently under construction, will provide a key addition to the regional motorwaynetwork which will significantly improve links between the A1 north of Leeds and both the M62 and the M1. The East Coast Main Line andthe Midland Main Line railways provide the principal north-south routes in the region, with a number of trans-Pennine routes providingkey east-west links. Suburban rail services, particularly in the metropolitan areas of South and West Yorkshire, have an increasinglyimportant role to play in addressing problems posed by traffic growth on the most heavily congested sections of the motorway network inthe region. The Humber ports provide good links to Europe and act as an important competitive advantage to the region. Leeds/Bradford isthe region's main airport.

Pressure points on eastern region's trunk roads

Following publication of What role for trunk roads in England? a seminar involving representatives from local authorities, the businesscommunity, transport operators, academic institutions and environmental groups was held to consider problems on the region's trunk roadnetwork and priorities for action. In addition over 4,800 written representations were received on regional issues and schemes.

The main areas for action identified as a result of the regional consultation were:

• Maintenance of the strategic role of the core motorway network in South and West Yorkshire, in particular the M62 and the M1;
• Upgrading the A1 to motorway standard, particularly key bottlenecks in the south of the region, in order to address a variety ofsafety, environmental and congestion problems;
• Improvement of the routes to the Humber ports, particularly to the port of Hull;
• Removal of through traffic from towns and villages where this was creating serious environmental problems;
• Facilitating economic regeneration through the removal of key bottlenecks;
• Upgrading of the network to address key safety problems.

Other decisions

The following schemes are to be replaced by scaled down solutions:

• A629 Skipton Kildwick Improvement
• A650 Hard Ings Road Improvement

The following schemes are to be the subject of further studies and/or consideration by the regionalplanning conference:

• M1 J31 32 Widening
• M62 East M606 Link Roads
• A1(M) Redhouse Ferrybridge
• A63 Castle Street, Hull Improvement

The following schemes are being withdrawn from the national trunk road programme:

• A65 Gargrave Bypass
• A65 Hellifield & Long Preston Improvement

Proposals for detrunking

Routes within the Yorkshire and the Humber Region proposed for transfer to local highway authority management are:

• A15 North Lincolnshire
• A19 Thirsk to Selby
• A57 South Yorkshire
• A58 West Yorkshire
• A59 North Yorkshire
• A61 Barnsley
• A63 Leeds to M62
• A64 Leeds to A1
• A65 North and West Yorkshire
• A629 North and West Yorkshire
• A638 South and West Yorkshire
• A646 Calderdale
• A650 Bradford
• A660 Leeds
• A1041 North Yorkshire
• A1079 East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire
• A1237 City of York