A MASSIVE £10 million funding package to tackle a town's chronic traffic turmoil has been approved.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has given the green light for £7m to be spent on transforming Hard Ings Road, Keighley, into a dual carriageway.

And a further £3m has been earmarked for other improvements to town-centre roads.

If the Hard Ings Road scheme receives the backing of Bradford Council's executive, at a meeting next week, the project could become reality by 2018.

The new-look route, part of the A650, would include a shared cycle path along a widened footway between the Beechcliffe and Bradford Road roundabouts.

There would also be pedestrian and cycle crossings.

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins welcomes the long-awaited scheme.

"This is a very positive development for Keighley motorists and the many tourists we welcome to our town," he said.

"It is also equally good news that the needs of pedestrians and cyclists are being catered for.

"I hope the work can get underway as swiftly as possible."

The council's deputy leader, Councillor Val Slater, said the initiative was a "win win" for Keighley.

"It will ease the free flow of vehicles, improve safety and air quality and cater for increased traffic as more households are planned for the area," she said.

"We have secured funding for improvements in Keighley town centre to ease the traffic jams there and are currently consulting the public on this.

"The two schemes will complement each other and greatly ease congestion in and around the town."

Campaigners have been pressing for years for action to free-up traffic-choked Hard Ings Road, which carries an average of 34,000 vehicles every weekday and about 2,500 at peak times.

The improvements are expected to halve queuing during rush hours.

Currently there is no crossing facility for pedestrians and there were 52 recorded accidents between 2009 and last year.

Richard Gelder – the council's transportation development manager – says if the scheme gets executive approval on Tuesday, consultation will begin almost immediately.

He added: "We will be consulting with councillors, the community and businesses in that area.

"Anyone potentially affected will have the opportunity to comment and once that is complete detailed designs will be drawn-up, which will then have to be approved.

"At this stage, until consultation is carried out and plans formulated, we do not have a full understanding of how businesses and residents in that area may be affected."

The schemes are aimed at complementing a £1.5m project to create a jam-busting one-way system around the town centre.

Consultation has been carried out on the clockwise gyratory, which would be introduced along East Parade, Hanover Street and Cavendish Street.

It includes left-turn-only exits from Gresley Road and Coney Lane into East Parade.

And drivers would be banned from turning right into or out of Low Mill Lane.

A 20mph speed limit and informal pedestrian crossing facilities would be introduced.

The findings from the consultation on that scheme will go before Keighley Area Committee later this summer or in early autumn and it could be implemented as soon as next summer.