The state of the roads across Kirklees could soon be filled and smoothed out as a further £26m investment boost is on the way.
At the end of last month, the government announced a £1.6bn investment to tackle the country’s ‘pothole plague’, with the money allocated across local authorities including Kirklees Council. To unlock the full funding, councils have to publish details on how many potholes they have filled and the condition of roads in an annual report.
Now, further cash for Kirklees’ road network has been announced by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), with just under £125m to be spent across the wider West Yorkshire region – Bradford (£28m), Calderdale (£15.8m), Kirklees (£26.1m), Leeds (£33.3m), Wakefield (£21.5m). This will see approximately 450 miles of road repaired and protected, as well as wider highways works.
The largest part of the funding, totalling £105.2m, will go towards works including resurfacing and repairing roads, maintaining structures such as bridges, improving drains as well as renewing streetlights and signs across the region. This includes £14.8m from the Local Highways Maintenance Fund announced by the government back in December 2024.
Meanwhile £8.3m has been earmarked for the Safe Roads programme, which includes new traffic calming measures and improvements to junctions. Just under £10m will go towards improvements like enhancing traffic lights and new pedestrian crossings, while £600,000 will help develop active travel schemes.
The funding was approved at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority last week, as part of the final two years of the City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) scheme.
Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, said: “We know that poor roads in West Yorkshire are a big issue for motorists, causing damage and creating unsafe driving conditions. This funding will be a huge boost to help fix more potholes, repair more roads and improve safety.
“Ensuring all our roads are safe and well maintained is important for building a better-connected region.”
