ELOR set to open in August in time for Leeds Festival traffic

Scheduled to open last spring, the new East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR) should be fully open in time for Leeds Festival goers to use ahead of August 26, subject to completed road safety checks, says Leeds City Council.

Coun Helen Hayden, executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: “It’s tremendous that the East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR), the biggest infrastructure project undertaken by Leeds City Council for 50 years, since the completion of the Leeds Inner Ring Road is to be opened in time for the Leeds Festival weekend at Bramham Park.

“There’s still a considerable amount of work to be done but our contractor is now confident about the opening.

“I am grateful to all those involved in this very significant civil engineering project which is of critical importance to the city.

“I’d encourage all people travelling to the festival to plan their journey ahead of time to help ease traffic congestion during this exceptionally busy bank holiday weekend.”

ELOR is a two-lane dual carriageway 7km in length, connecting the A6120 (Outer Ring Road Shadwell) in the north to Manston Lane in the south where it connects to the Manston Lane Link Road (MLLR), part of the Thorpe Park development.

When it opens, ELOR will become a new section of the Leeds outer ring road.

The dual carriageway includes five new roundabouts at the A6120, A58, Skelton’s Lane, the A64 and Barwick Road.

A council spokesman added: “The A64, often an area of congestion during the festival weekend, will benefit from the new dual carriageway increasing the road capacity for people arriving at the festival by car or coach.

“It’s opening will also ease congestion in existing residential areas across Cross Gates, Seacroft, Whitkirk which are often heavily affected by the traffic entering the Leeds festival site in Bramham Park.

“A confirmed opening date in August will be announced nearer the time.”

Remaining works include landscaping, that has seasonal planting restrictions, and will continue until the contractual completion date in December 2022.

“Some isolated traffic management may be necessary during this work but this will be limited to off peak and night time only,” added the spokesman.

Stephen Semple, Area Director at Balfour Beatty, paid tribute to the hard work of its teams over the past three years and said that they had recruited locally wherever possible.