Multi-million pound investment for city commuter route

A key route into one of Yorkshire’s busiest cities will see a raft of improvements as part of a major investment which will support economic growth and improve journey times for drivers and the lives of people living near the road.

Highways England is improving the M621 through Leeds – making journeys smoother, safer and tacking noise issues.

A series of schemes will all be carried out on the route over the following year. This will include a project to improve safety and reduce congestion which will be carried out in two phases.

This autumn work will start to widen the road at Junction 7 which is the first phase of the improvement – creating an extra lane by widening the slip road which takes vehicles travelling eastbound onto the roundabout.

Highways England will also widen the northern part of the roundabout – increasing the number of lanes from two to four improving capacity along the route.

Work will start later this month as teams investigate ground conditions between Junction 1 and Junction 6 to help plan for the second phase of the major project. Teams will work during the day and night to gather information about the road surface and locate underground pipes and cables.

Next year Highways England will also install noise and vehicle restraint barriers.

There will be two information events for the public to find out more. The first will be held at Hillside Enterprise Centre in Beeston Road, Leeds, on Monday 30 September between 3pm and 8pm. The second will be at West Grange Church at West Grange Garth, Leeds, on Wednesday 30 October from 2pm until 7pm.

Highways England Project Manager, Charlotte Wright, said: “Work is due to start this month on a series of projects which are going to improve this vital West Yorkshire route.

“The work we are carrying out is a major investment and is needed to improve journeys for the thousands of people who use this route every day and for the communities which live alongside it.

“If people want to find out more about what we are doing they can come along to one of our public information events and speak to our team.”

The initial work will be carried out overnight – requiring closures on the M621 and will be signposted in advance. Further details about each improvement will be provided closer to work starting on site. For more information and updates, visit: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/programmes/m621-improvements/