Councillors in Leeds have put a green spin on the new £126m East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR), which is now open to traffic.

Leeds City Council described the new 7km dual carriageway, which will become the new outer ring road in north east Leeds, as the biggest infrastructure project it has undertaken for 50 years.

It said the road is expected to ease congestion in existing residential areas and play a key role in the growth plans for the city for years to come.

The council said the scheme also provides 14km of dedicated cycleways, pedestrian, and equestrian pathways, as well as specially designed access points to improve connectivity to surrounding areas. Arch bridges allow walkers and cyclists to cross over the carriageways and large, wide underpasses allow passage underneath.

It added that the completed route provides infrastructure to match growing traffic numbers and future requirements as the East Leeds Extension stretches around the edge of Red Hall, Whinmoor, Swarcliffe and Crossgates.

Cllr Helen Hayden, executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: ‘Like other growing cities, Leeds faces several challenges, including adapting to climate change, linking people to services and employment, enabling people to better manage their wellbeing, and increasing the number of people choosing active travel and public transport.

‘Sustainable and joined up infrastructure has a vital role to play in responding to these challenges. A resource-efficient and connected city will be a better, healthier place to live, more competitive and better placed to ride out future economic and climate shocks.’

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA)provided £90m towards the £147m cost of the whole ELOR scheme, which also includes improvements to the A6120 outer ring road.

West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin described the new road as ‘an excellent example of how to reduce traffic and congestion while promoting active travel’.

Balfour Beatty area director Stephen Semple said: ‘After three years of hard work, we are delighted that the East Leeds Orbital Route is now open to traffic. The route will significantly improve journey times for the travelling public whilst also reducing congestion for local communities.’

The council said the scheme has been delivered ahead of schedule and on-budget, ‘despite the global pandemic and soaring materials costs’.

However, according to the WYCA, the completion date for the whole ELOR scheme was previously May 2022.

This article first appeared on Highways.