Cold snap delays road reopening again

A major road between two West Yorkshire towns is to remain closed for another two weeks due to "further complications" and recent extreme weather.

The A646 Halifax Road near Hebden Bridge was closed on December 13 after a sewer collapsed and was set to reopen on January 13.

In a joint statement, Calderdale Council and Yorkshire Water said the road would remain closed until at least January 27.

It said: "Our teams are working extended hours, in very difficult weather conditions, with extreme cold and melting snow adding to delays in completing what is a complicated issue."

Calderdale Council originally said the road would reopen by Christmas Eve 2024 but this was pushed back. The council then aimed to reopen one lane using two-way traffic lights on January 13.

The sewer on the road between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden belongs to Yorkshire Water but the culvert is the responsibility of Calderdale Council.

The council will remove a section of the culvert to allow access to the sewer and lay a new pipe. This will be followed by backfilling and repairing the culvert before the road can be reinstated.

The statement added: "We know this is frustrating and inconvenient for all concerned, we can only apologise and thank residents and businesses for their understanding as we work as quickly and as safely as we can.

"Our priorities remain getting the road reopened and maintaining customers' waste services."

A shuttle bus serving people along Halifax Road, Todmorden, will remain in place until the road has partially reopened, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Extra signs have been put in place at Todmorden and Hebden Bridge town centres to show that although there is no through route, businesses in both towns including along Halifax Road remain open and are accessible.

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