The A629 road is an intra-Yorkshire road that runs from Skipton to Rotherham through Keighley, Halifax, Huddersfield and Chapeltown in Yorkshire, England. The road runs through North, West and South Yorkshire, but before 1974, the entire length of the road was wholly within the boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is designated as a primary route through most of its length.
 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The A629 Keighley Road, in the village of Illingworth | ||||
| Major junctions | ||||
| North end | A65/A59 Skipton | |||
 A59 A65 A6131 A6068 A6034 A650 A6035 A6033 A644 A58 A646 A6026 A6025 A643 A62 A642 A635 A628 A616 A61 A6135 M1 A6109 A6123 A630 | ||||
| South end | Rotherham | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Road network | ||||
| ||||
The road is part of the intended Doncaster to Kendal Trunk Route which was designated as a trunk road in 1946.
Parts of the road are designated as a High Load Route by the UK Government although the section through Burncross to Chapeltown is designated as B road (B6546) because of a weight restriction.
Route
editThe very northern section of the route partially runs over the route of the Keighley and Kendal Turnpike.[1] Most parts have been bypassed such as the section between Snaygill to the south of Skipton onto the A65/A59 roundabout which opened in 1981.[2] Southern parts of the route were formerly the Huddersfield to Penistone Turnpike and the Halifax to Sheffield Turnpike.[3]
Along with the A65 and the A650, the A629 is part of the intended Doncaster to Kendal trunk route[note 1][4] which was meant to provide a through route between the two towns and cut across the Aire Gap.[5] As the section of the A629 between Skipton and Keighley is designated as a trunk route, it is maintained by the Highways Agency as opposed to the local authorities.[6] Additionally; the section between Kildwick roundabout and Keighley is designated as a Highways Agency High Route (IE one that high loads should take to avoid bridges).[7]
From the north the route starts at the A65/A59 roundabout to the northeast of Skipton and heads southwards through the Aire Valley bypassing Skipton, Farnhill and Kildwick. Just before the Kildwick level crossing, the road takes a bypass around Eastburn and Steeton on a dual carriageway that was opened in 1989. At Keighley, the A629 diverts through the town whilst Aire Valley traffic takes the A650. Through and beyond Keighley to Halifax, the road is a single carriageway.[8]
After going through Keighley town centre, the road heads due south but up onto the high ground through Ingrow, Cross Roads and Denholme. After Denholme the road crosses over into Calderdale and goes through Illingworth, Ovenden and Halifax.[9] The section of road between Halifax and Huddersfield is the main link between the two towns[10] and incorporates a bad junction with the A6026 in Salterhebble and the Elland bypass that leads up towards a junction with the M62 Motorway. The bypass at Elland is being widened to four lanes and is expected to reduce journey times between the M62 and Halifax by 30% when opened in 2024.[11] Through Huddersfield the road is in a multiplex with the ring road and then heads off south east past Shepley and Penistone.[12]
The route is broken on Burncross road through Chapeltown due to a 7.5-tonne (8.3-ton) weight restriction on the road,[13] but was traditionally part of the A629.[14][15] Heavy goods traffic is expected to divert onto the A61 north, use the M1 motorway south and then pick up the A629 at junction 35 for Chapeltown to access the rest of the route towards Rotherham.[16]
Incidents and safety
editIn May 2011, a section of the southbound Elland bypass was closed after boulders, remnants of a quarry that the bypass was built next to, came crashing down into the road.[17]
According to the Eurorap safety rating, the A629 is a Medium High-Risk Road between Skipton and Huddersfield and a Medium-Risk Road between Huddersfield and Rotherham.[18]
In January 2017, a man was shot by police on the side of the A629 southbound just by junction 24 of the M62 Motorway.(although this wasn't technically the A629 but a spur connecting the A629 to the motorway network)[19] The police announced it was a pre-planned operation as they had credible information that the man was carrying a gun.[20]
Congestion
editAs the road passes through the major conurbations of Keighley, Halifax, Huddersfield and Rotherham, it is prone to some congestion especially during the morning and evening peak periods. The junction of the road with the A6026 and the B6112 in Saltherhebble, regularly sees queuing traffic for over a 1-mile (1.6 km) southbound that takes between 12 and 15 minutes to get through.[21]
Kirklees Council have previously acknowledged that the A629 is one of the busiest roads in Kirklees.[22]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Gill, Michael (1999). "Cononley: The Anatomy of a Mining Village". Memoirs (63). Sheffield: Northern Mines Research Society: 34. OCLC 26033823.
- ^ "Build a road and someone uses it". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 31 December 2002. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Huddersfield and Penistone Turnpike Road - Huddersfield Exposed: Exploring the History of the Huddersfield Area". huddersfield.exposed. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "TRUNK ROADS ACTS 1936 AND 1946" (PDF). watsonlv.net. p. 4. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "The North-West of Doncaster-Kendal Trunk Road (Airedale Route) (Crossflatts to Cottingley Bar Section) (De-Trunking) Order 1991". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Lights hope for gridlock junction". The Yorkshire Post. 16 February 2007. ProQuest 335316644.
- ^ "Heavy and High Routes" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "OL21" (Map). South Pennines. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319242605.
- ^ "288" (Map). Bradford & Huddersfield. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319244852.
- ^ "A629 Halifax Road (Phase 5) Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). kirklees.gov.uk. p. 1. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Zientek, Henryk (22 June 2018). "Work to widen hospital route severely delayed: Major A629 road scheme at Salterhebble has been put back from this summer to early 2019 following unexpected setbacks". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. ProQuest 2057758604.
- ^ "278" (Map). Sheffield & Barnsley. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319244753.
- ^ "Proposed 7.5T environmental weight restriction" (PDF). sheffield.gov.uk. July 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Historic England. "Milepost opposite junction with Bevan, Ecclesfield (Grade II) (1132828)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- ^ "HGV ROUTING - 2017/18 ASSESSMENT OF TOP 5 HOT SPOTS" (PDF). democracy.sheffield.gov.uk. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "A629 - Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki". www.sabre-roads.org.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Rock fall closes commuter route". BBC News. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Collins big road atlas Britain. [2019]. Glasgow: Collins Bartholomew. 2018. p. xiii. ISBN 978-0-00-827268-5.
- ^ "A629 Halifax road closed after police shooting". ITV News. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Harley, Nicola (4 January 2017). "'Stud badboy' shot on M62 by police used fast cars to launder profits from his drugs empire". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Next phase of improvements to end A629 traffic misery". Halifax Courier. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Lavigeur, Nick (1 August 2012). "Four months of road works to start soon: Green light for pounds 1 million scheme". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. ProQuest 1030423337.