Good news for M1 and M62 commuters in West Yorkshire

Work is coming to end at Chain Bar on the M606/M62 and work will begin on the M1 at junction 45. An extra lane on Chain Bar roundabout just off the M62 near Bradford has been opened, to help reduce congestion and increase capacity for the 70,000 drivers who use it every day. Highways England has increased the number of lanes around the roundabout, just off junction 26 of the M62 where it meets the M606, from three to four lanes. Work to install the new traffic signals and reconfigure them will be done at a later date. When complete these lights will help improve the traffic flows through the roundabout as part of an £11.03 million scheme. But in order to give drivers the benefit as soon as possible the extra lane was opened earlier this week using temporary traffic signals while the above work takes place. And work is due to start on a similar scheme to widen the roundabout at junction 45 (Leeds) of the M1 in the new year. As part of the £8.5 million scheme some of the exit and entry slip roads to the roundabout will be widened and an extra lane will be added to the roundabout increasing it to three lanes. Highways England project manager for the Chain Bar scheme Esref Ulas said: “This scheme will provide improved capacity that will help reduce the queues and delays experienced by the thousands of drivers who use the roundabout in particularly on the M62 westbound exit slip road, the A58 Whitehall Road West, and the A638 Bradford Road. “We have opened the extra lane so drivers can get the full benefit by easing the traffic problems people have been experiencing getting off the M62 on to Chain Bar roundabout. “Work is ongoing to install and programme the new traffic signals which will complement the additional lane and help smooth the flow of traffic. In the meantime we will continue to use the temporary traffic signals. We are also carrying out improvements to the pedestrian and cycling facilities. “We would like to thank drivers and the local community for their patience while this work has been taking place.” As part of the project two miles of resurfacing has been laid, two miles of white lining has been painted, a mile of new drainage has been installed and just over a mile of new kerbing has been laid. The ‘two plus’ lane that connects the M606 and M62 eastbound was suspended during construction to ease the congestion but has been reinstated now the extra lane has been opened. All the earth that was removed to create the extra lane has remained on site to prevent extra lorry movements to and from site. Over the next few weeks further landscaping works on the roundabout will take place.