A MAJOR improvement scheme carried out to ease traffic congestion on one of Keighley’s busiest roads has won a prestigious award.

The £9.3 million project to transform Hard Ings Road has earned recognition from the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT).

Delivered by Bradford Council in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the scheme had been highly praised for easing traffic flows at what was a notorious bottleneck.

Now it has been presented with the John Smeaton CIHT Yorkshire & Humber Award for Best Large Highways & Transportation Project.

Work began in April 2019 on widening Hard Ings Road into a dual carriageway.

A range of other improvements was also carried out, including new traffic signals, lighting, pedestrian provision and kerb lines.

The main contractor was Howard Civil Engineering.

Councillor Kim Groves, the combined authority’s West Yorkshire transport committee lead member for public transport, said: “It is gratifying that this important project has been recognised by a major industry body like the CIHT.

“The Hard Ings scheme has delivered many benefits for the local community and I would like to congratulate everyone involved, in the combined authority and our partners in Bradford Council.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw – the council’s portfolio holder for regeneration, planning and transport – said: “This is fantastic news. We are delighted to be recognised for all the hard work and diligence that went into upgrading one of the district’s most important routes.

“We’ve had fantastic feedback locally and I’d like to congratulate and thank our council officers for all their hard work delivering this scheme.

“Whilst it is too early to fully judge the performance of this project, schemes like this deliver significant benefits to local people including reduced travel times and improved road safety.

“The A650 Hard Ings Road is a strategically-important route which links Bradford to Keighley and extends onwards to Skipton and Lancashire.”

He added that the challenges associated with working during the Covid-19 pandemic had been overcome to successfully open the scheme within budget last October.

The project also saw the installation of a signalised junction with pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities and a shared, two-way cycle and pedestrian footway. New planting and landscaping was carried out to mitigate the visual impact of the road and provide replacement wildlife habitats. Finance was provided through the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, as part of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal.