Works continue on a £2.7 million package to boost walking and cycling access on two West Yorkshire canal towpaths

Improvement works are taking place on a 3.5km section of the towpath between Apperley Bridge and Shipley on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, and a 4.3km section of the towpath between Milnsbridge and Slaithwaite on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

28 March 2022

The towpath upgrades on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal are being delivered through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme, which is aimed at enabling more people to walk and cycle, in partnership with Bradford and Kirklees councils, and the Canal & River Trust.

Improvement works are taking place on a 3.5km section of the towpath between Apperley Bridge and Shipley on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, and a 4.3km section of the towpath between Milnsbridge and Slaithwaite on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

The works include the resurfacing and widening of canal towpaths and will provide communities along the Aire and Colne Valleys with traffic-free, flat and attractive alternative routes.  Both schemes build upon previous upgrades to neighbouring sections of the canal towpaths completed in 2018.

Construction work is expected to continue until late summer and there will be a series of closures to the towpaths while the improvement works are underway.

In Kirklees, the improvements to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal towpath will take place between Lock 10E in Milnsbridge to Titanic Mills in Linthwaite with a closure in place from 28 Feb 2022 to late July 2022, and between Titanic Mills in Linthwaite to Britannia Road Bridge, Slaithwaite with a closure in place from 02 Mar 2022 to late July 2022.

In Bradford, the improvements to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath will take place between Dock Lane Swing Bridge in Shipley to Buck Hill Swing Bridge in Esholt with a closure in place between 18 March 2022 to mid-August 2022, and from Strangford Bridge to Dobson Lock from 21 March 2022 to mid-August 2022.

The works are being delivered by the Canal & River Trust and updated information on the closures to the towpaths can be found through the Canal & River Trust website.

Find out more information about the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath closures.

Find out more information about the Huddersfield Narrow Canal closures.

The Bradford scheme will also receive money from the Getting Building Fund, through which the Combined Authority secured £52.6 million to accelerate 15 “shovel-ready” projects in response to the pandemic, helping create nearly 2,300 new jobs and safeguard a further 500.

Kirklees Council has made an additional budget contribution to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal scheme, allowing design improvements to be incorporated at two locations. These improvements will ensure the towpath is accessible and takes into account consultation feedback. This is the result of substantial work with Experience Community CIC and the Canal & River Trust.

Find out more information about this route and other improved towpath schemes delivered through the CityConnect programme.