Motorway upgrades create legacies for West Yorkshire communities
Lasting legacies have been created in West Yorkshire as the teams behind motorway upgrades have joined forces to improve community spaces and build exciting futures.
Lasting legacies have been created in West Yorkshire as the teams behind motorway upgrades have joined forces to improve community spaces and build exciting futures.
This week National Highways celebrates its inaugural Communities Week (6 to 10 November), which aims to throw a spotlight on some of the work being carried out to support the wellbeing of communities living near its roads.
From restoration work on a heritage railway to sharing stories with primary school children, National Highways and their partners have impacted generations of people in Leeds and Wakefield.
National Highways Project Manager Daniel Edwards said:
“Everything we do is for the benefit of the public, which is why social value is important to us.”
As part of a scheme to upgrade central barriers on the M1, M621 and M62 around Lofthouse Interchange earlier this year, National Highways and partner Balfour Beatty engaged with 420 students at schools across Wakefield and Leeds, sharing information with them about careers in the industry and the apprenticeships on offer.
Following one successful event at Oulton Academy, the school’s careers lead Sarah Callery, said:
“The day was a huge success and that would not have been possible without all of you taking the time out of your busy schedule to come and speak with our students. They get so much from experiences such as this.”
National Highways and Balfour Beatty have also visited Westerton Primary, where the children found out more about animals that live next to roads. This was followed by an exploration of the outdoor area with bug catchers and magnifying glasses to find mini beasts, working together to build a bug hotel.
In total, the barrier upgrade scheme supported social value projects worth £3.3m for communities living in surrounding areas.
And the £49.8m scheme to deliver major improvements to the M621 in Leeds, led by National Highways and delivery partner Keltbray, has been highly commended at the CECA Yorkshire and Humber Awards for ‘Going the Extra Mile’.
The M621 project team has engaged in more than 40 events for schools, colleges, and community groups. Keltbray’s award-winning employment programme has supported individuals including the long-term unemployed, homeless, those suffering from mental ill health and ex-offenders.
They may be leading on many important projects but National Highways and its partners are united in their support for West Yorkshire’s heritage and environment.
Middleton Railway was established in 1758, when horses pulled thousands of tons of coal a year to Leeds, ensuring the city played a vital role for all industries using coal as a source of heat or power.
Together, volunteers from National Highways helped restore some of the old engines, keeping trains running. The volunteers got to work repainting the fence around the museum and carried out maintenance such as weeding.
In January this year, National Highways, Balfour Beatty, Keltbray and Costain combined efforts to clear drainage pathways at Rothwell Country Park. The drainage channels were being prevented from flowing due to overgrown vegetation.
The collaboration continued with volunteers and park wardens from Leeds Council removing bracken from Adel Wood. The work will preserve the biodiversity of historic moorland surrounding the city.
Balfour Beatty Project Director Ian Rowell, said:
“While projects such as this are critical to connecting communities, they also play a vital role in creating local jobs, educating school children and giving back to the local community. As we join National Highways to celebrate ‘Communities Week’, we’re thrilled to highlight the opportunities the construction and infrastructure industry has supported in and around West Yorkshire.”
Keltbray’s Major Projects Director, Louise Pavitt said:
“Our work for National Highways means that we have the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with diverse community groups. Working in and around Leeds, we’ve been able to support local people through charitable donations, schools outreach, prison engagement, local employment and economic investment. We’re pleased to be able to support National Highways in celebrating this year’s Communities Week and we’ll continue to focus on the longer-term social and economic value that our work can bring to West Yorkshire.”
During Communities Week, National Highways has published its inaugural Delivering Social Value Annual Report which measures for the first time the work carried out by the company and its supply chain in local communities.
National Highways launched its first Social Value Plan in October 2022 to frame the company’s commitments to communities. More than 50 suppliers signed up to the plan and this year, across the country, some £220,000 was spent through the regional social value fund.
Notes to Editors
National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.
Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via the Traffic England website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available.
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