COUNCILLORS have said a £9.7 million improvement scheme for a "nightmare" Keighley road is well overdue.

Funding for the improvements to Hard Ings Road is likely to be passed in December, and at a meeting of Bradford Council's Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, members were given an update on the project.

Highways Engineer Richard Geldar told the meeting that the Hard Ings Improvement project was the most advanced scheme currently planned for the district’s roads.

He said the business case was submitted to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which will fund the scheme, in August, and earlier this month that authority recommended the funding go ahead. Full approval for the funding is expected to be made at a meeting of the combined authority in December.

Once complete the improved road will feature two lanes in each direction, additional traffic signals and safer pedestrian and cycle ways and crossings.

Councillor Taj Salam Lab, Little Horton) said: “Any improvements to our roads have to be really welcomed.”

Councillor Riaz Ahmed (Lib Dem, Bradford Moor) said: “This is welcome, but the big question is whether this will solve the problems on this road completely. It will be helpful, but will it solve all the problems on that stretch of road? I don’t know.”

Councillor David Heseltine (Cons, Bingley) said: “This is well overdue, that road is a nightmare, and things can only be improved by getting cars moving and not just sitting there chuffing out particulates.”

Members were assured that work had been done to make sure traffic jams were not just dispersed either side of the improvements, with officers saying it would make traffic flow much smoother onto and off the Bingley Bypass.