New £7m link road approved for Castleford

A new relief £7.3 million link road in Glass Houghton has been given the green light after funding for the project was approved by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Councillor Dave Dagger at the site of the proposed new Glass Houghton Southern Link Road development in 2015.Councillor Dave Dagger at the site of the proposed new Glass Houghton Southern Link Road development in 2015.
Councillor Dave Dagger at the site of the proposed new Glass Houghton Southern Link Road development in 2015.

The southern link road will be built to help reduce traffic congestion and unlock land for development in the area, creating the potential for new jobs in the future.

Work is expected to start in spring of 2019 and the road will include footways and a segregated cycle route, providing an alternative route around the Glass Houghton leisure and retail park.

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Wakefield Council will carry out the work, which is being funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through the West Yorkshire Transport Fund.

Coun Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, said: “This is great news for the district as the Glass Houghton Southern Link Road will improve transport links in the area, reduce congestion and open up land for development which could lead to new job opportunities.”

The new road will be an extension of the existing Whistler Drive that connects into the roundabout at Cutsyke Road and Premier Way.

Senior councillors at Wakefield Council will be asked to give final approval for the project at a cabinet meeting.

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If approved, the work is expected to be completed in spring 2020.

The proposals for the road were first mooted back in 2015, and it was suggested that it could be the catalyst for 1,300 new homes, could create more than 3,200 jobs and boost the local economy by £29 million by 2026.

Coun Kim Groves, chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: “The Combined Authority has invested approaching £50m in new transport infrastructure, designed to support inclusive economic growth, the creation of new jobs and the construction of new housing, across the Wakefield district.

“Schemes have included the Wakefield Eastern Relief Road, the Pontefract Northern Relief Road, the regeneration of Wakefield city centre’s Kirkgate and new park and ride spaces at South Elmsall and Fitzwilliam rail stations.

“Like these other projects, a new Glasshoughton Southern Link road would improve access to employment sites and housing growth, ease local congestion and support sustainable transport.”