Dewsbury's Ravensthorpe Road to close amid rail upgrade work

Ravensthorpe Road will be closed for 10 weeks while the work is carried out

A road in Dewsbury is to close for 10 weeks as part of a major upgrade of trans-Pennine rail infrastructure.

The £11bn Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) will see the electrification of the railway line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.

Ravensthorpe Road is to be shut to allow major underground services such as water and electricity to be moved.

The TRU will bring faster, greener trains and more reliable services said project owners Network Rail.

Last year, the government pledged a further £3.9bn for the project, which is expected to be completed in the 2030s, cutting journey times between Leeds and Manchester to about 42 minutes.

First announced in 2011, work began in December 2021 and is expected to cost well in excess of £10bn - one of the biggest rail upgrades in the country.

In preparation for the Dewsbury leg of the scheme, the road between Station Approach and Calder Road will be closing from Monday 8 April, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Work is anticipated to be complete by Monday 17 June and will see two high pressure water mains redirected by Yorkshire Water.

Northern Power Grid will also undertake repair work to electric cables in the area at the same time.

A range of works are also taking place along Fall Lane as part of the TRU, with "vegetation management" being carried out.

Network Rail will also carry out its own strengthening works to the railway bridge at Forge Lane, with two-way traffic signals in place between mid-April and mid-June.

Signs and a diversion route will be in place while the work takes place.