Plans to transform a traffic-choked Keighley main road into a dual carriageway have been welcomed in the town.

Last week, the Telegraph & Argus reported that a massive congestion-busting scheme, for Hard Ings Road, was among a package being put forward to the Government.

If given the green light, the multi-million-pound project would end years of pressure for action.

Hard Ings Road, part of the A650 through the town, is a notorious bottleneck.

“It is the cork in the neck of the bottle – you have dual carriageway coming from both the Steeton and Crossflatts directions and then roundabouts and this single carriageway bit in the middle,” said Graham Mitchell, chairman of the town council’s watch and transport committee.

“Because of this, you get long queues of traffic either end along the Aire Valley trunk road.

“The work to upgrade Hard Ings Road desperately needs to be carried out – we have wanted it for so long. I very much hope the scheme finds favour.”

Keighley councillor and Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Khadim Hussain, also gave his backing.

“It is an excellent initiative which would take a lot of pressure off the traffic situation not only there but in other parts of Keighley such as North Street which become gridlocked,” he said.

The town’s MP, Kris Hopkins, said the proposal was “interesting” but he sounded a note of caution.

“As someone who spends often-long periods of time in that bottleneck area, the proposed scheme is certainly an interesting idea which should be explored further,” he said.

“But there does need to be real and meaningful dialogue with local residents and business owners to establish how practical it might be.”

The Keighley scheme – which also includes improvements to the town centre, where a one-way system along Cavendish Street, East Parade and Hanover Street is planned – is one of 12 district-wide being proposed by Bradford Council.

Local authorities across the region are sharing in a £1 billion fund for major road and rail projects and each Council has drawn-up details for the Department for Transport, which is contributing £183 million.

The rest of the money would be contributed by the five local authorities in West Yorkshire, York City Council and the local transport authority.

Councillor Val Slater, Bradford Council’s executive member for transport, said when deciding which schemes to include, she and her counterparts at the other local authorities had tried to prioritise those which would boost access to jobs and help disadvantaged areas, while trying to ensure each “got a fair share”.

She said it would help the district get to grips with some of its harder-to-tackle congestion problems.

“It gives us a chance to tackle some of the traffic issues that we know about but that we haven’t had the money on our own to sort out,” she added.

Coun Slater said improvements in other districts would also help local residents, as many people travelled to other parts of the county to work.