Plan ahead: major highways work over the school summer holidays

Road users are being urged to plan ahead this summer as significant disruptive work begins around the Armley Gyratory, Stanningley Bypass (A647), and the Outer Ring Road A6120 Horsforth to Rodley route. The work has been planned to coincide with the reduced levels of traffic over the school summer holidays, which aims to minimise disruption for all road users.

The council works hard to prioritise, plan and co-ordinate complex schemes to ensure as least disruption as possible across our busy city. The following works will begin from next month:

• Armley Gyratory Wellington Road footbridge final phase
• Wellington Road (A58) – Between Monday 8 July to 21 July night-time inbound and outbound lane closures from 8pm until 6am. From Monday 22 July permanent inbound and outbound lane closures until the scheme completes.
• Wellington Road footbridge demolition starts 8pm Saturday 27 July.

• Stanningley Bypass A647 Outer Ring Road between Farnley and Bramley
• Cross over construction to enable contraflow starts Monday 8 July night-time 8pm to 6am. This will allow essential work to be undertaken with less disruption to traffic management.
• Joints and surfacing works starts eastbound Friday 20 July and then westbound Thursday 8 August until 30 August, with ongoing 30mph speed limit.

• Connecting West Leeds project A6120 Horsforth to Rodley
• Advanced works with night-time lane closures started 23 June for three weeks.
• Highway widening to A6120 west of Horsforth roundabout along with new cycleway and footway construction starts Wednesday 24 July, until scheme completion in summer 2025. Full lane closures will be in place for the initial 11 weeks, then partially removed as works progresses.

Leeds highways network planning and co-ordination

The Connecting West Leeds project for new footway and cycleway links are underway on site between Dawsons Corner and Rodley. Also on site are the Northern Gas Networks (NGN) in the Rodley / A6120 Leeds area installing new main gas pipes and will move around different phases over the summer. The council has planned in advance the sequence of these works including working with NGN to bring their works forward.

As these works progress the council coordinates with other schemes such as the New York Road flyover. For example, the Marsh Lane tunnel is expected to re-open ahead of the summer holidays and start to the Armley Gyratory.

The major scheme at Dawsons Corner is looking to be planned later in the year following the general election, pending full business case review and approvals by the Department for Transport. However, due to the complexity of this scheme the council’s contractors will be carrying out ground investigations throughout the summer.

Armley Gyratory Wellington Road (A58) footbridge

The removal of the Wellington Road footbridge (A58) over the Armley Gyratory is to begin at 8pm Saturday 27 July and end by 5am Monday 29 July. This is the third and final footbridge around the Gyratory to have new wider and more accessible footway, after Gelderd Road and Spence Lane.

Starting from Monday 8 July there will be lane closures both inbound and outbound along the A58, lasting up to six months to allow for the construction works to safely take place.

Wellington Road footbridge is a 25 metres span footbridge, comprising a temporary truss span that was installed in 2001, following a vehicle hitting the bridge that damaged the concrete main span. It will be demolished on site and the materials recycled.

The new footbridge will be 43.5 metres long and three metres wide. It will cross over the A58 and includes improvements to both approach ramps to better meet the needs of non-motorised users and people with disabilities. All the new upgraded footbridges are designed to ensure they will need less maintenance work and inspection, over future decades.

Future partial weekend closures are planned to complete the works, possibly early in 2025 and details available on the project website www.leeds.gov.uk/ArmleyGyratory

Diversion maps

Pedestrian diversion

Stanningley Bypass (A647) Outer Ring Road Farnley to Bramley contraflow and diversions

The pavement joint repairs will be carried out on the A647 between Swinnow Lane and the pedestrian bridge which connects Spring Valley Crescent to Wellstone Garth.

Between 20 July to 7 August the eastbound closure will allow repairs to joints on lane one and two. All eastbound traffic will be on the contra flow using the west bound carriageway at reduced speed limit of 30mph. This will also close the eastbound slip way at Swinnow Road, with a signed diversion in place.

Between 8 August and 30 August, the westbound closure will allow repairs to joints on lane and two. All westbound traffic will be on the contraflow using the eastbound carriageway at reduced speed of 30mph. This will require closure of the westbound on and off slip road at Swinnow Road with a signed diversion in place.

Connecting West Leeds (A6120) Horsforth to Rodley

The start of these works has been coordinated with the Armley Gyratory with the planned diversion route through the works. To maximise the school holiday period and reduced traffic levels, it’s been decided not to delay the start of the works.

After Horsforth roundabout towards Rodley the carriageway will be widened to increase traffic flow away from the roundabout, reducing congestion and improving bus journey times. There will also be new and improved pedestrian and cycle facilities between the two roundabouts linking to the facilities at Fink Hill, and those currently under construction between Rodley and Dawson’s Corner.

The timing and approach to the works has been carefully considered. Although further queuing is expected back towards Rodley roundabout due to the loss of capacity, the traffic management measures will allow the works to be completed in the safest and most efficient way to reduce the overall disruption.

From 24 July, the A6120 northbound towards Horsforth will be reduced to one lane to allow traffic towards Rodley to be moved away from the working area, creating a safe working zone for operatives. After approximately 11 weeks, the second northbound lane will be partially reopened to ease congestion as the works progress. As works are completed, traffic management will gradually be removed to reduce the disruption caused by the works.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:

“The team are working hard to minimise disruption by planning, co-ordinating and sequencing large highways schemes across Leeds. They necessitate careful planning with other works, not always in our control and events across our busy city.

“I am pleased to see that the New York Road flyover bearings works will finish soon. It will enable the opening of Marsh Lane tunnel ahead of the planned Armley Gyratory works and summer holiday period. The demolition of the Armley Gyratory Wellington Road footbridge marks the start of the schemes final phase from 8pm Saturday 27 July to 5am Monday 29 July and construction over the next six months.

“Earlier this month I visited the newly completed Spence Lane and Gelderd Road footbridges, which are hugely impressive and will allow for better accessibility for more users.

“With the number of summer highways schemes, please plan ahead when travelling through the Armley Gyratory (A58), Stanningley Bypass (A647) between Farnley and Bramley, plus works on the A6120 Outer Ring Road in West Leeds near Horsforth. You will need to allow more time for your journeys, be patient and follow the signed road diversions in place.

“We thank everyone for their ongoing patience while we continue to work hard to minimise the disruption over the summer and thank those who have already changed the way they travel into and around the city centre.”