Armley Gyratory: Watch as Leeds residents tell of roadworks 'chaos' and two-hour journeys from Cross Gates

Works to remove and replace the ageing Gerlderd Road footbridge, which took pedestrians over the Armley Gyratory, was carried out between Friday evening and Monday morning.

The work resulted in significant tailbacks being reported across the city, with some saying they were forced to sit in traffic for up to three hours.

But commuters will be relieved to hear that the road below the bridge reopened this morning (January 15), as confirmed by the council in a post on X [formerly Twitter].

We visited Cardigan Fields by Kirkstall Road - which was one of the worst affected routes - to speak to residents about the ongoing issues with traffic and roadworks in the city.

You can view clips of some of the people spoke to in the video at the top of the page.

One person said that the traffic was "horrendous" while Jez and Nikki Collins said that it took them two hours to get from Cross Gates to Kirkstall; a journey that typically takes them 15 minutes.

Jez said: "It was an absolute nightmare. This is an ongoing thing in Leeds. It's unbelievable.

"It has just lingered on and lingered on."

Nikki said: "They just seem to be doing roadworks that they've already done."

Another resident in Kirkstall named Ruth said: "I don't know why they've messed with the Armley Gyratory. It was fine as it was. They are making it worse.

"As for the city that's just horrendous. I don't go in because it's that bad. You turn down one road and you can't go anymore.

"There were never any problems before. Everyone got where they needed to go without the hassle. Now it's just a big hassle."

Following the completion of the works, a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “The removal and replacement of the Gelderd Road footbridge at the Armley Gyratory has now been completed, with the road reopening ahead of schedule in the early hours of this morning.

“We would like to thank the public for the patience and understanding they showed during the unavoidable traffic disruption caused by the weekend’s road closure.”

The weekend’s disruption came after the Welling Road south east and Ingram Distributer southbound exits were closed on Friday evening, with the authority mapping out a near 18-mile diversion.

Pictures showed gridlocked traffic across the city centre and into the city’s inner suburbs on Saturday, particularly on Kirkstall Road.