Overview

This presentation, brought to you by CIHT Yorkshire & the Humber, will include a presentation by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Highways team where they will discuss their award-winning project – the Hard Ings Road Improvement Scheme.

The team will present details on various aspects of the project - discussing the background & goals of the project, the project design process, the challenges the team faced during planning & delivery and the outputs and outcomes of the project.

Following the presentation, there will also be a Q&A session where attendees can put their questions to the team.

Who is the event for?

This event is open to both members and non-members of CIHT. It will be of particular interest those who are interested in the highway improvement project and those who may be working on similar schemes. It will be a useful session where you can learn lessons from a successful scheme and ask questions which may benefit your own schemes.

Why you can't miss this event?

• CPD opportunity.
• Listen to an overview of the project, hear best practice, the successes and the lessons learned.
• Discussion panel and Q&A session around the subject - get your questions answered directly by those involved with the design and construction of the project.

Project Background

The A650 Hard Ings Road is a strategically important route which links Bradford to Keighley and extends onwards to Skipton via the A629 and the Pendle area of Lancashire via the A6088.

The A650 is mostly dual carriageway except for a short section comprising Hard Ings Road, Keighley, which runs between Bradford Road and the A629 in Keighley.

This is a key pinch point causing congestion not only on the main A650 but also impacts Keighley Town centre as drivers attempt to re-route to avoid this length of road.

With the A650 being de-trunked into the local authority ownership, funding options seemed limited, however the Scheme was accepted as a qualifying scheme and prioritised by WYCA within the WY+TF programme.

The £9.33m scheme comprised of widening the existing carriageway to provide two running lanes in each direction for the full extent of the section of Hard Ings Road Keighley. The scheme length is approximately 0.7 Km. 

The scheme started construction in 2019 and overcame the challenges associated with working during the Covid-19 pandemic to successfully complete and open the scheme within budget in October 2020.

The scheme has delivered key outputs for all highway users, and includes;

• Increasing the number of lanes from 2 to 4 along a 0.7km stretch of road to provide the “missing link” along the A650.
• Installation of traffic signals on the roundabout to increase safety and efficiency
• Installation of a signalized junction with pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities (toucan crossing) at the junction with Lawkholme Lane.
• A shared, two-way cycle and pedestrian footway on the southern side of Hard Ings road.
• New planting and landscaping including green infrastructure.

Speakers

Phil Wagstaff, Project Manager, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Project Manager in Bradford Council’s Highway Services team, working on schemes funded by the West Yorkshire + Transport Fund. For the Hard Ings Road Improvement scheme, Carole was involved from feasibility stage through to construction.

Carole Yeadon, Senior Engineer, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Senior Engineer in Bradford Council’s Highway Services team, working on schemes funded by the West Yorkshire + Transport Fund. For the Hard Ings Road Improvement scheme, Carole was involved from feasibility stage through to construction.

Dominic Liddell-Crewe, Programme Manager, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Programme Manager at WYCA responsible for coordinating West Yorkshire + Transport Fund projects through the WYCA Assurance Framework.

David Aspinall, NEC Project Manager, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
NEC Project Manager responsible for the delivering the project on site on behalf of Bradford Council and administering the contract

Tony Kilbane, Contracts Manager, Howard Civil Engineering
Contracts manager on behalf of the contractor Howard Civil Engineering responsible for the delivery of the project

Help and Support

 For further information, please email yorkshireandthehumber@ciht.org.uk