New North Road

New North Road is a junction on the west side of the A62 Huddersfield Ring Road where it meets A629 New North Road, which leads to Halifax and Huddersfield's principal junction with the M62, Ainley Top. It is notable for being the only fully grade-separated junction on the ring road, although it is not entirely freeflow; the merge with the ring road's anti-clockwise carriageway is signal-controlled due to the total lack of peripheral visibility both on the mainline and the sliproad.

Although the exit on the anti-clockwise carriageway is signposted "A629", it does not connect directly to the A629; rather, it joins with Fitzwilliam Street, which is unclassified. To get onto New North Road, traffic must turn right at a mini-roundabout. This exit is signposted with an unconventional but accurate ADS which serves as a concise graphical warning of the tight bend ahead.

The merge with the clockwise carriageway can be intimidating at busy times, as the ring road widens from two lanes to four at this point, and entering traffic wishing to continue on the ring road beyond the next two junctions (Unna Way and Lower Fitzwilliam Street) has to merge and cross two lanes in a matter of yards. To make matters more complicated, the merge is located immediately before a large signalised at-grade crossroads.

History

Most of the Huddersfield ring road was created by upgrading pre-existing roads to dual carriageway and joining them together into one continuous route. However, in order to join the northern side to the western side, an entirely new road had to be constructed. This prospective new road was crossed at a right angle by Fitzwilliam Street, an important road which connects the town centre with the main road to Halifax, so a junction between them was definitely required.

The difference in elevation between the western and northern side of the ring road complicated matters - in order to maintain a relatively shallow gradient on the ring road, the new section would need to be built in a cutting, which meant it would be some distance below Fitzwilliam Street. And in order to maintain Fitzwilliam Street as a continuous route with no sudden changes in elevation, a grade-separated junction would be required. This stood it in marked contrast to the other junctions on the ring road, which were at-grade signalised crossroads (although some were later modified.)

Route	To	Notes
A62	Ring Road, Leeds, Bradford (A641), Wakefield, Sheffield (A629), (M1), M62 (East), John Smith's Stadium, Kingsgate Shopping Centre
A62	Ring Road, Oldham, Holmfirth (A616), Rochdale (A640)
A629	Halifax, (M62)

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  ADS on anti-clockwise exit.

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  North side of the junction, from the overbridge.

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  Merge with the clockwise carriageway.

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  Signalised merge with the anti-clockwise carriageway.

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  Gantry sign on the approach from New North Road.