WORK to try and improve congestion at a busy Bradford junction will begin in Autumn, after an extra £140,000 was made available for the scheme.

Work to improve the Great Horton Road/Horton Grange Road junction was first proposed in early 2019.

It would see new signalised junctions, improved cycling and walking facilities and a mini link road.

The work is being funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and the Authority has recently provided an extra £140,000 towards the scheme, taking the total allocated costs to £4.457 million.

The final funding is for the final development works and to finalise a business case for the project ahead of work starting this Autumn.

Before the Covid pandemic began the original start date was due to be March 2021.

Work will include a new road built between the Horton Park Avenue/Cecil Avenue junction and All Saints Road/Dirkhill Road junction, with priority junctions at both ends of this road.

Support for £5.5m bridge that will help boost walking and cycling

It will be built on an area of green land behind Horton Park Medical Centre that was a rail line until the 1970s.

The Authority says this road will allow motorists to bypass the busy Great Horton Road/Horton Grange Road/All Saints Road junction.

A planning application to build this road was approved by Bradford Council in 2019.

Other changes being made as part of the scheme include signalising the Great Horton Road/Horton Park Avenue junction, with two lanes inbound to the junction of Great Horton Road/Horton Grange Road/All Saints Road.

All Saints Road will be changed to a one way southbound between Great Horton Road and Turner Place.

There will be improvements for cycling and walking at the junction and a pedestrian crossing at Great Horton Road.

New garden areas will be created either side of the new road.

A report detailing the scheme to West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Investment Committee on Wednesday said: "The highway improvements will be complemented by both public transport and active travel interventions as well as enhanced public realm."

It said the scheme would lead to improved journey times for cars and public transport using this stretch of road, and lead to a 5 per cent increase in "active mode users" (cyclists and pedestrians) within one year of completion.

It would also reduce car accidents and lead to a 4,000 tonne reduction in carbon emissions over 60 years.

The scheme was one of three junction improvement schemes proposed for the West of Bradford.

The others were changes to Toller Lane/Whetley Hill that will include two lane approaches to the junction on A6177, dedicated left turns from the A6177 two lanes in both directions on Toller Lane from the Carlisle Road junction to the existing dual carriageway, and widening out approaches on Toller Lane and Whetley Hill to provide a short right turn.

Work to the Thornton Road/Cemetery Road junction will involve formalising the right turn lane inbound on Thornton Road into Cemetery Road, widening westbound direction on Thornton Road to have two lanes from the A6177, creating a two lane approach on Allerton Road and creating two lanes North on the Cemetery Road approach and two lanes on the Allerton Road exit.

Work on those two schemes will start in Autumn 2022.