Highways chiefs allocate £330,000 for repairs on road in Dewsbury

Woodhead Road, Holme Moss is on the list of roads in Kirklees scheduled for repairs

Among the routes scheduled for repair is Princess Road in Chickenley, at a cost of £332,955.

A budget of £1.3m has been allocated for the A6024 Woodhead Road at Holme Moss, which suffered a landslip in 2021 that caused significant damage to the road, drainage, supporting ground and structures.

Cash for repairs, street lighting, integrated transport projects and cycling and walking initiatives was agreed by Kirklees Council’s decision-making cabinet on Tuesday (January 18).

Councillors approved the capital plan, which includes roll-over money, grants aids and re-profiled cash from the council’s budget to the tune of £26.1m in 2021/22 and £24.1m in 2022/23.

Temporary repairs to the A6024 costing £132,000 took place last year after an investigation found the road was “unstable and suffering ongoing subsidence”.

However highways bosses were fearful of another landslip as some retaining structures were said to be "distorted" with some more than 150 years old.

“There is a significant risk with the ground conditions and severe weather, that the temporary measures will fail and the road will be closed permanently as the risk to road users becomes too great,” said a council application to the Department for Transport (DfT) for emergency funding.

If the road had to be fully closed it would cause a 23-mile (37km) diversion and prevent access to the Holme Moss transmitter from the Huddersfield side.

Highways officers reminded the DfT that the road is of great importance as it is an abnormal load route, a popular tourist spot and close to the “nationally important” Holme Moss transmitter, which they said was “infrastructure of national importance for security”.

Other routes and structures earmarked for high value improvements include Queensgate in Huddersfield (£500,000), Bradley Boulevard in Huddersfield (£341,330), Warneford Road/Warneford Rise in Cowlersley (£267,262), Thick Hollins Dike Bridge in Meltham (£260,000), Firth Street in Huddersfield (£227,000) and Royd Street Bridge in Milnsbridge (£225,000).