MORE than four out of five people who responded to a public consultation by National Highways on the future of the M1/M62 Lofthouse interchange near Leeds have said they are in favour of improvements.

Some 827 people responded to last year’s consultation with 85% agreeing the busy junction needs an overhaul to improve journeys.

The most widely-held view was expressed by 77% of respondents who indicated they would like to see a reduction in congestion at the junction. This was closely followed by improved road safety (70%) and shorter journey times (66%).

The figures were published in a summary report of the consultation which ran for six weeks in November and December 2021.

National Highways put forward three options for consideration – a new roundabout to replace the existing one, a new free flow link connecting the M1 northbound to the M62 eastbound, and a full free flow junction between the M62 and M1 to remove the need for vehicles to stop at the interchange.

Overall, the strongest support was expressed for Option C, the full free flow interchange, with more than four out of five (84%) respondents in favour of this option and only 5% opposed to it.

National Highways Project Manager Andrew Potter said: “This was a valuable exercise for us and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to consider the options and provide their feedback.

“The responses we received will shape the scheme as we progress the design. They will be considered among other factors such as safety, the environment, value for money and the scheme’s objectives, and will help the Government decide if it is to be selected for future delivery.”

If the Lofthouse scheme is approved for the next stage of design, National Highways will develop the plan in more detail and carry out another public consultation to give customers the opportunity to provide further comments.

This is one of the projects announced in National Highways’ 2020-25 Delivery Plan as being considered by the Government for further development.

Some £347 million of funding has been allocated to the development of these projects, which have been identified through National Highways’ programme of strategic studies, route strategies, specific areas of research and work with stakeholders. Not all schemes in the pipeline will progress to construction.

For more information on the project, visit https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/yorkshire-and-north-east/m1-m62-lofthouse-interchange/