Blessed relief for Bingley!

The first motorists drove on to the brand new tarmac just before noon yesterday.

And jubilant crowds gathered on the Britannia bridge - next to the town's major junction with the road next to Ferncliffe Road - to witness history in the making.

And already the dual carriageway around the town centre road, which was built by construction company Amec, has had a massive impact on rush-hour jams.

For the first time in decades the town centre was free of congestion as commuters made their way home from work yesterday.

And it appears the mammoth project has begun to deliver what was promised - the removal of vehicles from the usually-choked Main Street.

One of the first motorists to drive on to the road - which stretches from Crossflatts roundabout to a new roundabout by the Ramada Jarvis Bankfield Hotel in Cottingley - was Shipley Labour MP Chris Leslie.

"It was a great feeling to drive along the road and it's going to be fantastic for Bingley," he said.

"We've been waiting for this day for so long and it's great to see traffic using it."

As the clock ticked past noon many motorists and HGV drivers had realised the road was open and were tentatively turning off roundabouts at either end of the route to try it out.

And many sounded their horns, waved and gave the thumbs up as they passed under the landmark Britannia bridge in the centre of the town.

Highways Agency project manager Alan Apps was on the bridge - which replaced the old "Tin" bridge, which spans the new A650 and the Leeds- Liverpool canal - to see the first road users.

"It's wonderful to see the road finished and being used," he said.

"It is the most complex road project in the country because of all that was involved - including draining the canal to build the new junction in the town centre and building a jetty over the South Bog.

"And we've also had to fit the road in between the canal and the railway line, it's been a bit like threading a needle. But it's done and in time for Christmas.

"I'm intrigued to see how it will impact on the town centre and its future."

Onlooker Bill Harrison, 73, said he wouldn't have missed the event for the world.

"We've been waiting for this day since the 1930s and it's fantastic to see it finally delivered," he said.

He said the first suggested route was through Myrtle Park which caused a massive protest more than 70 years ago.

"After that it was again discussed in the 1960s and it was planned to run alongside the River Aire.

"But at last it's here and it will hopefully bring back the Bingley we remember."

The former timber merchant who has lived in Bingley all his life said he was delighted to see the project materialise during his lifetime.

"People used to flock here for days out, to see the historic sites and enjoy the park, and we hope those days are around the corner again," said Mr Harrison.

Councillor Colin Gill (Con, Bingley) tried out the road within minutes of it opening.

"Everyone is ecstatic and we have to keep pinching ourselves," he said.

Bradford Council traffic engineers will be assessing traffic flows along the road in the new year.

"We hope to forge ahead with the town's regeneration plans but some of that will depend on the Unitary Development Plan's public inquiry results in relation to the proposed Wellington Street link," said Coun Gill.

Main Street could be pedestrianised as part of a £1 million revamp which would include redirecting traffic along Wellington Street.

Councillor David Heseltine (Con, Bingley) said he was impressed with Amec's attention to detail.

"It has delivered a fantastic road and driving along it you can see the beautiful stone work and it's spot on.

"A lot of money has been poured in to creating a quality product and we're over the moon."

A Highways Agency spokesman said induction loops - special sensors fitted in the road's surface - will count the number of vehicles using the road.

She said figures would be collated after the Christmas and New Year holiday when normal traffic levels resumed.