M65 extension into Yorkshire

[jackal]

The problem with joining it up to the A650 is then the abrupt end near Bradford.

It needs to be decided just what the road is for, first of all. Personally, I'd like to see it go all the way to the A1(M), with a connection to the A650. That would be VERY useful and certainly help the economies of Bradford, Blackburn, etc.

Sending it via Leeds Bradford Airport wouldn't be a bad idea.

The oddest thing about the M65 at present is the way it seems to lead directly into the Boundary Mill retail park!

Some plank let that be built on the proposed line. Likewise, some plank has let a similar retail park be built at the western end.

As a result I'd suggest motorway extensions on either side are well and truly dead, and anything built will be all-purpose.

Even without the retail park would they really want to be sending the motorway through the town? Here's a plan from the 70s courtesy of Truvelo.

[Pendlemac]

The problem with joining it up to the A650 is then the abrupt end near Bradford.

It needs to be decided just what the road is for, first of all. Personally, I'd like to see it go all the way to the A1(M), with a connection to the A650. That would be VERY useful and certainly help the economies of Bradford, Blackburn, etc.

Sending it via Leeds Bradford Airport wouldn't be a bad idea.

The oddest thing about the M65 at present is the way it seems to lead directly into the Boundary Mill retail park!

Some plank let that be built on the proposed line. Likewise, some plank has let a similar retail park be built at the western end.

As a result I'd suggest motorway extensions on either side are well and truly dead, and anything built will be all-purpose.

Boundary Mill car park is NOT on the originally proposed line of the motorway. The existing roundabout would been to the north of the mainline ( part of a dumbbell ) as the motorway would be swinging to the south-east to go through the South Valley area. Vivary Way / North Valley, or the line through where Boundary Mill now is, was never an option as it is too built up!

[Pendlemac]

Sending it via Leeds Bradford Airport wouldn't be a bad idea.

The oddest thing about the M65 at present is the way it seems to lead directly into the Boundary Mill retail park!

Some plank let that be built on the proposed line. Likewise, some plank has let a similar retail park be built at the western end.

As a result I'd suggest motorway extensions on either side are well and truly dead, and anything built will be all-purpose.

Even without the retail park would they really want to be sending the motorway through the town? Here's a plan from the 70s courtesy of Truvelo.

Interesting that that shows the mainline going north of the town. The plans and models that were available when the extension to Reedyford was being planned / built certainly showed the South Valley route. Admittedly, they also showed the section through Nelson as D3M.

I'd love to know where the myth of BM being on the line of the motorway came from as those of us who lived in Pendle at the time know that was never the case.

[Bryn666]

Even with the southern route Boundary Mill is occupying space that would have been taken up by slip roads and earthworks, but yes, fair enough.

Land was cheaper in derelict mill towns than it was in rural farmland at the time, it's one of the reasons the M65 was meant to go through Blackburn as it was cheaper to buy up all the derelict mills than to buy out farmers.

We know how it ended up in the end of course.

[jackal]

Even without the retail park would they really want to be sending the motorway through the town? Here's a plan from the 70s courtesy of Truvelo.

Interesting that that shows the mainline going north of the town. The plans and models that were available when the extension to Reedyford was being planned / built certainly showed the South Valley route. Admittedly, they also showed the section through Nelson as D3M.

Truvelo also posted this explanation:

[Jim606]

Whilst extending the M65 into Yorkshire is technically feasible. Planners would have to think about several key issues;
1. What to do at the Bradford end i.e. a Shipley Tunnel. Anyone got any spare cash?
2. If a extra bypass of Keighley was needed in addition to the Hard-Ings Road improvement M650 Keighley northern route revisited?
3. ..& finally how to cross the very northern tip of the South Pennines. Some recent attention given to this area as one of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Whilst it doesn't have National Park status, there have been calls for it to become a Regional-Park-moves-step-closer/ So, driving a motorway or major dual carriageway 'over the tops' at this point wouldn't be as straightforward as you might imagine. I've walked some of this area and it does represent some glorious countryside, albeit not very well known countryside. As with Shipley, a tunnel might be possible (but, expensive) and does the government want to open up a new trans-Pennine crossing at this location when they have clearly stated their main priority is Manchester to Sheffield.

[stu531]

Hmm Jim, so I see...

There's a rough map of it in this publication (page 3).

[Jim606]

Hmm Jim, so I see...

There's a rough map of it in this publication (page 3).

Thanks for that, I've never actually seen a map of the proposed area before. Going back to the road, I don't think there has ever been any serious route plans for linking the A65 thru' to West Yorkshire. At Shipley there were plans for an A650 bypass and basically if the money could be found a tunnel could be built. However, a route to link the end of the M65 with the A629/A650 dual carriageway has never really been developed, as far as I am aware. All that has ever been put forward is the Foulridge/Colne bypass (on the back burner) and the A629 Cononley Crossroads improvement (which got ditched years ago). For the sake of debate (as on this thread) then connecting the roads would either have to be via Skipton (as a development of these above proposals) or along a new route following the line of the A6068.

If the various authorities cannot get Foulridge/Colne and Cononley off the ground then how are they going to develop the whole route as a dual carriageway? As mentioned before, there is also the issue of the railway reopening. In the past I think any serious road ideas would have utilised the old track-bed. Whilst reopening the railway might actually be more talk over substance, the track bed will stay reserved for 'rail-use' for the foreseeable future and no-doubt beyond that!

Again, as mentioned before, going 'over the tops' would be highly controversial in terms of wrecking as nice bit of countryside. A tunnel might be possible, but would the current traffic flows really justify it? There might be the potential to link infrastructure development with garden villages i.e. for major urbanisation/house building in the area, but this is more likely to be linked to the railway reopening than the road between Skipton and Colne. The real issue for improving Trans Pennine links is the Manchester to Sheffield corridor as this article in the Yorkshire Post rightly points out; https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/la ... -1-7839078

[Glenn A]

Oviously it looks like an M65 extension into West Yorkshire is dead and buried, but a D2 by pass of Colne and dualling the A6068 would be a decent compromise, as this would link to the D2 A650 for Bradford.

[Rillington]

Indeed, as the A6068 through Colne is a major bottleneck. Colne really does need a bypass.

[ticker]

Maybe not so dead and buried....

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... ast-track/

[6637]

Maybe not so dead and buried....

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... ast-track/

That article: "The study will not look at extending the M65 motorway, the source said."

[Peter350]

More importantly, I want to know why Google Maps have changed the label to read “Autostrada M65”? Perhaps they’re envisaging that any extension that does happen will be built to Italian standards

[NICK 647063]

Yes clearly someone has misread the article as it clearly say it will not look at extending the M65 which means it is dead for now.

[Berk]

My reading is the A6068 could possibly be developed into an expressway. As long as they can fix Vivary Way (or divert it, maybe).

[jackal]

Press release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new- ... -announced

Note that the Lancs Telegraph's source for the 'no M65 extension' claim is anonymous, and nothing of the sort is mentioned in the press release. One would logically suppose that the quality of the route would be one of the things the study will investigate, and that would surely include expressway standards as at least a possibility. The source may not be aware that grade-separated dual carriageways with no HS are now likely candidates for motorway status.

[Euan]

I definitely wouldn't have expected any serious study into extending the M65 east of Colne, but at least Colne itself could see some improvements.

Although the article does briefly talk about potentially reopening the Colne - Skipton railway line as well.

[stu531]

Not reported on here at the time, but Grayling visited Colne in January. Perhaps this is a result of this trip - although notice that both road and rail are discussed here.

Saying that, and without going political, Grayling doesn't exactly have a reputation for delivering, does he?

[jackal]

Not reported on here at the time, but Grayling visited Colne in January. Perhaps this is a result of this trip - although notice that both road and rail are discussed here.

Saying that, and without going political, Grayling doesn't exactly have a reputation for delivering, does he?

Have you seen what the strategic road programme looks like now compared to 10-20 years ago? And much of it under construction already or with DCOs submitted.

[Owain]

More importantly, I want to know why Google Maps have changed the label to read “Autostrada M65”? Perhaps they’re envisaging that any extension that does happen will be built to Italian standards

Awesome!

If England were Italy, the M65 would already extend to York, and the M67 would probably reach Doncaster. Nobody would have said anything about "difficult terrain", because there is nothing in the UK that Italians (or French, or Swiss) would classify as "difficult terrain".