Major city road to be upgraded in new scheme

A major route in Bradford is to be upgraded.

The A650 Tong Street will be widened to two lanes with pedestrian provision over a 1.5km (0.9 mile) section, increased footways and a two-way cycle track.

The scheme was announced as part of government plans to invest £27bn on motorways and A-roads across England over the next five years

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the wider plan would "secure the future of our road network in the North East and Yorkshire for years to come".

She added: "Not only are we investing in renewing our roads, meaning smoother and faster journeys for drivers, we are getting on with investing into brand new projects which will deliver benefits across the region, from Tyneside all the way to South Yorkshire.

The Road Investment Strategy also includes remodelling of links and junctions for the Shalesmoor gateway in Sheffield.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said the organisation had long argued for the funding and money would be better spent improving the current roads than building new ones.

He said: "There is clear logic behind the move to prioritise renewals activity and scale back ambitions for new construction, given the pressures on our extensive but ageing major road network.

"National Highways will need to develop new engineering and traffic management solutions to ensure we can keep moving despite the substantial volume of work involved."

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