Ravensthorpe Road to be temporarily closed while next phase of Transpennine Route Upgrade work commences

Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) are reminding road users to plan their journey ahead of time, as Ravensthorpe Road closes for a 10-week period.

From Monday 8 April 2024, Ravensthorpe Road will be closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic while major upgrades take place, bringing passengers one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable journeys between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

Over the 10-week period, Yorkshire Water, on behalf of TRU, will finalise their connections to an existing water main beneath the road, allowing a new road layout and bridge to be constructed in the future. To reduce the impact on the community and reduce the need for additional closures, Northern Power Grid will also complete work involving the connection of high voltage cables.

The closure, which will extend from Veolia Dewsbury Service Centre to 153 Ravensthorpe Road, will allow for the next stage of these key upgrades. Access to Veolia will be maintained throughout this period and pedestrian access past the worksite will be available via the public footpath.

Additionally, from Tuesday 2 April, a range of work will also take place along Fall Lane.

Strong progress has already been made in Ravensthorpe with the site being cleared, while archaeology and historic mining mitigation work have also been completed.

To raise awareness of the closure and to allow the local community to plan their journey ahead of time, warning signage will be in place from Friday 29 March 2024. Additionally, signposted diversion routes will be established along the route with clear directions of the best route to take.

Work has been carefully planned to take place at times that have the least amount of impact on local residents. This means that staff will be on site on the following days and times, with an additional 30 minutes before and after each shift to complete preparation and clear up work:

· Monday to Friday: 08:00 to 18:00

· Saturday: 08:00 to 13:00

· There will be no work taking place on Sundays.

Paul Sumner, senior sponsor on Transpennine Route Upgrade said:

“We know that closing roads, bridleways or public footpaths, especially ones like Ravensthorpe Road that are heavily relied on by the local community, is far from ideal and I would like to thank everybody for their support and understanding while this work takes place.

“As part of the ongoing upgrades being completed by TRU, Ravensthorpe Station will be relocated approximately 300m West of its current position, providing the opportunity for trains going to or from Wakefield to call at the station. Additionally, a new forecourt with blue badge spaces, drop off point and step free access will be built.

“Unfortunately, for us to achieve this, it does mean that there will be occasions when road closures need to be implemented. When this occurs, we’ll always do our best to carefully plan the work so that we can re-open it at the earliest opportunity.”

Anyone who uses this route is encouraged to check roadworks.org for the latest information and the most up to date diversionary routes.