THE construction team developing a major crossroad project will take a "well-earned break" over Christmas.

The Greengates Crossroad Improvement works - a £12.3 million development of the major junction of Harrogate Road and New Line - have been underway since July 2020.

The hope is that the project will help alleviate traffic issues at the crossroad, which is a major connection point between Leeds and Bradford and West Yorkshire's only airport - Leeds-Bradford.

Howard Civil Engineering, the company undergoing the works on behalf of Bradford Council, provide regular updates of how the project is going.

In the firm's most recent newsletter it outlined the plans for over Christmas and what has happened over the past four weeks.

The update outlined that staff will be taking a "well-earned break" over the festive period, for 12 days exactly.

The newsletter said: "Our site team will be taking a well-earned break over the Christmas period from 23rd December 2021 to 4th January."

A special Christmas update will go out on December 17 to explain out-of-hours traffic management details while workers are not on site.

Meanwhile, Howard Civil explained what workers have been doing over the past four weeks.

The firm explained low voltage cable diversions have been completed - one of which leads from the Greengates war memorial to Optegra Eye Hospital and another in the area of the newly formed bus layby on Haigh Hall Road.

Workers have also installed a Storm Cleanser drainage system on New Line, outside Asda, while Yorkshire Water have commenced water diversion works leading from Natwest to QRI, which are scheduled for completion in early December.

The wall outside QRI is in the beginnings of being rebuilt and Howard Civil has reoriented the footpaths and planters around the Greengates war memorial gardens, which has enabled workers to cast the foundations of the new boundary wall.

Road widening operations continue on Harrogate Road, with Virgin Media and BT progressing works along the stretch of road leading from Aldo's Italian to Optegra Eye Hospital.

Other than the Christmas break, in the next four weeks, workers will start rebuilding the memorial walls and BT will continue the works to its diversions, which run from Aldo's Italian to Optegra Eye Hospital.

Once those diversions are complete, Howard Civil will be able to continue road widening operations in this area and reconstruct the associated walls, fence lines, and footpaths.

The newsletter states: "Yorkshire Water are on track to complete their final diversion, and we will reinstate the car park outside QRI.

"On New Line, we will commence work to install the infrastructure required for the upgraded pedestrian crossing to the end of Haigh Hall Road and we will start works to upgrade the surfacing to New Line Retail Park and Sunnyside Day Nursery."