Leeds Inner Ring Road

{{Short description|Motorway and road in Leeds, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}} {{Use British English|date=May 2014}} thumb|Map of the ring road shaded in blue and green {{Infobox road | country = ENG | type = AM | route = 64 | length_mi = 0.5 | direction_a = East | terminus_a = Quarry Hill | destinations = Leeds | direction_b = West | terminus_b = Brunswick | established = 1969 | junction = 1000x20px | previous_type = AM | next_type = AM | previous_route = 58 | next_route = 66 }} {{infobox road | country = ENG | type = AM | route = 58 | length_mi = 2.0 | direction_a = East | terminus_a = Brunswick | destinations = Leeds | direction_b = West | terminus_b = Armley | established = 1964 | history = Constructed 1964–75 | junction = 1000x20px | previous_type = AM | previous_route = 57 | next_type = AM | next_route = 64 }} [[File:Footbridge over Leeds Inner Ring Road - geograph.org.uk - 104747.jpg|thumb|right|By the now closed Leeds International Pool.]] thumb|right|Passing under the Nuffield Hospital. thumb|right|Passing under the Woodhouse Lane multi-story car park. thumb|right|Signs on the John Smeaton Viaduct

The '''Leeds Inner Ring Road''' is part-motorway and part-A roads in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which forms a ring road around the city centre.

It has six different road numbers that are all sections of longer roads. Clockwise, the roads are the A58(M), a motorway section of the A58 road; the A64(M), part of the A64 road; the A61 between York Road and the M621; the M621 between junctions 4 and 2; and the A643 between the M621 and A58. The motorway section is in total is {{convert|2.5|mi}} long and is subject to a {{cvt|40|mph}} speed limit throughout.

==Route== The motorway section of the ring road forms a semicircle around the north of the city centre. It is classified as a motorway to prohibit certain types of traffic and pedestrians but is not designed to modern motorway standards: it has no hard shoulders and many exits are unsuitable for a true motorway, including a right-side (fast lane) slip road exit. Most of it runs in a concrete-walled cutting, but it goes into a tunnel under the Leeds General Infirmary. The motorway cuts through inner-city neighbourhoods such as Woodhouse, Sheepscar, and Buslingthorpe, forming an important link in the road network by allowing traffic from the A65, A660, A58, A61 and A64 to bypass the city centre.

==History== Leeds suffered severe traffic congestion as it was on the main route joining Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford and Hull.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leedsconstructionlink.co.uk/buildingleedsa642.htm |title=Leeds Construction Link – Building of the Inner Ring Road – Background |access-date=14 October 2006 |archive-date=20 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720134350/http://www.leedsconstructionlink.co.uk/buildingleedsa642.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1955 it was decided to build a dual carriageway to remove through traffic.<ref name="lcl2">{{Cite web |url=http://www.leedsconstructionlink.co.uk/buildingleedsa643.htm |title=Leeds Construction Link – Building of the Inner Ring Road – Solution |access-date=14 October 2006 |archive-date=18 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618081349/http://www.leedsconstructionlink.co.uk/buildingleedsa643.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the final stages before construction began the road was redesignated as a motorway in 1963, without any changes to the design.<ref name="lcl2" /> Construction began with the demolition of 365 homes and 174 other structures.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leedsconstructionlink.co.uk/buildingleedsa644.htm |title=Leeds Construction Link – Building of the Inner Ring Road – Clearance |access-date=14 October 2006 |archive-date=18 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618081412/http://www.leedsconstructionlink.co.uk/buildingleedsa644.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The motorway was built around the city centre in three stages in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>[http://www.iht.org/motorway/a58ma64mstat.htm The Motorway Archive – Leeds Inner Ring Road Dates Page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060312141003/http://www.iht.org/motorway/a58ma64mstat.htm |date=12 March 2006 }}</ref> Stage 1 opened was the route from the exit for the town hall to the A58 exit, stage 2 was the A64(M) section and stage 3 linked the road to the A58.<ref>[http://www.cbrd.co.uk/histories/lirr/00.shtml CBRD – Histories – Leeds Inner Ring Road – Map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829230736/http://www.cbrd.co.uk/histories/lirr/00.shtml |date=29 August 2008 }}</ref> Stages 4 to 6 featured upgrades to the A61 constructed in the 1990s to non-motorway standards featuring traffic light controlled intersections and non-grade separated junctions. When the motorway finally opened, Leeds used the motto ''Motorway city of the 70s''.

The final stage of the inner ring road (stage 7) began construction in 2006 and opened in late 2008. Featuring a large elevated viaduct, it links the M621 at junction 4 with the previously-constructed traffic light controlled interchange at Cross Green, Leeds is of a similar standard to stages 4–6.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leeds.gov.uk/living/travel,%20transport%20and%20streets/Transport%20policy/Leeds%20Inner%20Ring%20Road%20Stage%207/page.aspx?style= |title=Leeds City Council Scheme Page |access-date=14 October 2006 |archive-date=20 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620013106/http://www.leeds.gov.uk/living/travel,%20transport%20and%20streets/Transport%20policy/Leeds%20Inner%20Ring%20Road%20Stage%207/page.aspx?style= |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The remainder of the Inner Ring Road is formed by using the M621 between junctions 2 and 4 and the A643 between Elland Road and the Armley Gyratory. It is not currently signposted as a complete route on the ground other than on the motorway section to the north of the city centre.

==Motorway section junctions== ''Note: both motorways have no junction numbers'' {| class="wikitable" |+A64(M) motorway junctions |- ! width="45%"|Eastbound exits ! Junction ! width="45%"|Westbound exits |- align="center" | ''Road continues as '''A64''' towards Seacroft'' The NORTH York A64 Selby (A63) | rowspan="2"| | Quarry Hill ''Non Motorway Traffic'' |- align="center" | City Centre (M1), (M621) St James's Hospital, Bus and coach stations, Burmantofts, Harehills | ''Start of motorway'' |- align="center" | City Centre Loop Harrogate '''A61''' Wetherby '''(A58)''' Moortown, Roundhay, Chapeltown, Quarry Hill | | City Centre Harrogate '''A61''' Wetherby '''(A58)''' |- align="center" | ''No exit'' | | Skipton '''A660''' City Centre, University, ''Multi Storey Car Park'', Infirmary |}

{| class="wikitable" |+A58(M) motorway junctions |- ! width="45%"|Eastbound exits ! Junction ! width="45%"|Westbound exits |- align="center" | Wetherby '''A58''' Harrogate '''(A61)''' Sheepscar, Meanwood | | ''No exit'' |- align="center" | Skipton '''A660''' University ''Multi Storey Car Park'' | | ''No exit'' |- align="center" | Civic Precinct, Infirmary | | City Centre |- align="center" | ''Start of motorway'' | rowspan="2"| | Ilkley '''A65''' Leeds/Bradford {{rail-interchange|air}} Rail Station x15px |- align="center" | Ilkley '''A65''' Leeds/Bradford {{rail-interchange|air}} Rail Station x15px ''Non Motorway Traffic'' | ''Road continues as '''A58''' to Armley'' (M621, M62, M1) Halifax '''A58''' Bradford '''(A647)''' Huddersfield '''(A62)''' |}

==See also== *Leeds Outer Ring Road

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category|Leeds Inner Ring Road}} *CBRD **[https://web.archive.org/web/20081219123554/http://www.cbrd.co.uk/histories/lirr/ Histories – Leeds Inner Ring Road ] **[http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/a58m/ Motorway Database – A58(M)] **[http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/a64m/ Motorway Database – A64(M)] **[https://web.archive.org/web/20061009150532/http://www.cbrd.co.uk/media/video/irr.shtml Videos – A58(M)] *Pathetic Motorways **[http://pathetic.org.uk/current/a58m/ A58(M)] **[http://pathetic.org.uk/current/a64m/ A64(M)] *[http://www.leedsconstructionlink.co.uk/buildingleedsa641.htm Leeds Construction Link – The building of the inner ring road in the 1960s] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081229222722/http://www.iht.org/motorway/a58ma64mleeds.htm The Motorway Archive – Leeds Inner Ring Road]

Category:Transport in Leeds Category:Motorways in England Category:Roads in Leeds Category:Ring roads in the United Kingdom