M621 Corridor Transport "Improvements"

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tyke bhoy
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M621 Corridor Transport "Improvements"

Post by tyke bhoy »

There are currently a couple of consultations going on for projects which are aimed at improving transport both public and private along the M621 corridor.

The first is by Highways England (formerly Highways Agency) for improvements to ease congestion on the motorway itself. Although the fanfare was “Junctions 1-7” other than something of a throwaway comment at the end on Junction 7 the 3 options of the main plan all involve improvements between Junction 1 and 3 having little effect on Junctions 3,4,5,6 and 7.

http://roads.highways.gov.uk/projects/m ... ns-1-to-7/

The main thrust of the plan is to close the off-slip of junction 2a anti-clockwise up to Cemetery Road. This would enable the continuance of two lanes on the clockwise carriageway between the Junction 3 off-slip up to the merger with traffic leaving Leeds via the Junction 3 southwest on-slip. Currently those two lanes merge to 1 to enable some traffic joining at junction 3 to merge and immediately exit on 2a. The remainder of the two additional options of the plan seem in the main to be how much between Holbeck Moor and the Ring Road (Junctions 1-3) will become 3 lane motorway. This will presumably will be done by converting the hard shoulder into additional lanes at least at peak times as per the managed motorway method.

The throwaway comment on Junction 7? Well if funding can be arranged and Highways England can agree with LCC then the Junction 7 clockwise (south-east) off-slip to Stourton will be widened to up to 3 lanes and adjustments made to the Roundabout Gyratory. This will become particularly important if the project which is the subject of the 2nd Consultation comes to fruition. This off-slip or more accurately the traffic lights at it act as a major obstacle for traffic heading to Thwaite Gate and beyond from the A639 and A61 (respectively Pontefract and Wakefield Roads) in the morning rush hour.

That 2nd consultation the resurrection yet again of the Park and Ride at Stourton which was part of Supertram and then Follybus schemes.

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages ... ement.aspx

The plan involves an 1100 space car park, presumably on the field between the West side of Stourton Gyratory and Belle Isle. I doubt if car users who can be queuing up to 2 miles back on the A61 and presumably similar on the A639 are likely to be tempted into a Park and Ride just before they reach the cause of the congestion and there continuation into Leeds becomes much faster.
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

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tyke bhoy
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Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 4:48 am
Location: Leeds/Wakefield
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Re: M621 Corridor Transport "Improvements"

Post by tyke bhoy »

Judging by the "temporary" fencing and other signs of construction site prep going on in the field at Stourton, work has commenced on the Park and Ride. Hopefully it will be several months before it affects traffic flow but given the artists impressins at least suggest there will be major changes to the road configuration (A61/A639) including a tunnel under the M621 slip road I would also be expecting several months of additional travel disruption over and above that caused by the badly timed traffic lights on the roundabout
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

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