£1m. scheme to boost safety and cut congestion in Colne begins today

The scheme around junction 14 of the M65, and along Vivary Way and North Valley Road, aims to improve safety by reducing queues on the M65, and making junctions operate more effectively.

As these roads are particularly busy, providing access to Trans-Pennine routes, as well as a number of local business parks and residential areas, the work has been carefully planned with any major tasks involving lane closures due to be carried out overnight to minimise disruption to traffic.

The package of measures involves upgrading traffic signals to make them work more efficiently, widening some junctions, and changing lane priorities and signs on the approach to junctions to improve the way drivers are directed towards their destinations.

The improvements are being funded from the Department for Transport’s national productivity infrastructure fund, which aims to boost economic growth through measures to ease congestion and improve journey times.

The work will be completed in four phases over the next six months from M65 junction 14 to the Langroyd Road junction with North Valley Road.

The first phase, which begins today (September 21st), will take six weeks, focusing on improvements to lane allocations, signing and a short section of resurfacing at junction 14 of the M65.

The overall project includes upgrading all traffic lights, changes to lane allocations, widening of the roads, simplified signage and right "pockets" will be introduced in some places where vehicles wishing to turn across the flow of opposing traffic can wait for a gap while allowing traffic behind to continue.

Improvements to traffic flow are expected only after all the work is finished, and following a period of monitoring and evaluation where the operation of the traffic signals will be optimised.

Welcoming the scheme, Andrew Stephenson, Conservative MP for Pendle, said: "Clearly, works to a major road like Vivary Way will cause some disruption, which I hope can be managed. "However, this should significantly improve the way traffic flows on the road and cut down the time spent stuck in traffic.

"Many thanks for local Conservative County Coun. Joe Cooney on his efforts in pushing for this.

"I’m continuing to speak to Highways England about their work looking into more ambitious projects to improve Trans-Pennine road connections between the M65 and Yorkshire, and continue to support reinstating the Colne-Skipton line, which would also help reduce congestion on our roads."

County Coun. Keith Iddon, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "This is one of Lancashire's most congested routes and I'm very pleased to be able to invest in these improvements.

"Our main priority is to improve safety by reducing queues on the M65, however this scheme will also make a difference to journey times in general by increasing the capacity and efficiency of the junctions along Vivary Way and North Valley Road.

"A wider study into this transport corridor is being carried out by Transport for the North as part of the work to look at improving east to west connections across the region, however it makes good sense to do whatever we reasonably can in the meantime to improve people's journeys along this important route by upgrading our existing infrastructure.

"We're aware this is a very busy route and have carefully planned how this project will be carried out to minimise disruption as much as possible, with any work which can only be done with lane closures in place due to take place overnight.

"We're grateful for people's patience while we make these vital improvements which I'm sure will make a real difference once they are complete."