A662

A662
Country	GBR
Route	662
Length mi	8.2
Direction a	North
Terminus a	Dewsbury
Direction b	South
Terminus b	Wakefield
Counties	West Yorkshire

A662

A662 is a principal arterial A road in West Yorkshire linking Dewsbury and Wakefield via suburbs and industrial districts. The route serves regional traffic between conurbations such as Batley, Ossett, and Horbury while intersecting major corridors including the M1 motorway, A1(M), and the M62 motorway radial networks. It functions as a connector for freight to hubs like Wakefield Europort and passenger flow to nodes such as Dewsbury railway station and Wakefield Westgate.

Route

A662 begins near central Dewsbury at a junction with the A638 road and proceeds southeast through Batley and the Birstall periphery, meeting radial links to Leeds and Bradford. The road continues past Earlsheaton and skirts the northern approaches to Ossett, where it intersects with the A642 road and provides access to industrial estates serving firms in Kirklees and logistics operations associated with Tetley-era warehousing. South of Ossett the A662 runs close to the River Calder corridor, passing Horbury and crossing feeder routes toward Wakefield before terminating at a junction with the A61 road near Wakefield town centre and connections to Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate stations.

History

The alignment has medieval and early modern precedents as packhorse and coach routes linking market towns such as Wakefield and Dewsbury; 19th-century turnpike trusts formalised sections that later formed the modern carriageway. Industrialisation in the 18th and 19th centuries, driven by textile manufacturers based in Batley and coal extraction around Horbury, prompted widening and surfacing improvements tied to transport acts implemented by county authorities in Yorkshire. 20th-century motorisation and the postwar expansion of the M1 motorway and M62 motorway networks induced successive resurfacing and realignment projects to accommodate lorry flows to sites like Normanton and distribution centres serving Leeds Bradford International Airport catchment areas. Recent decades have seen targeted schemes influenced by regional planning agencies such as West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Traffic and safety

Traffic volumes reflect a mix of commuter, commercial, and local trips, with peak directional flows to Wakefield and Leeds during weekday rush hours. The corridor experiences congestion at key intersections with the A638 road, A642 road, and roundabouts feeding industrial estates, exacerbated by freight movements to logistics hubs including terminals near Castleford and Pontefract. Accident clusters have been recorded at junctions with limited visibility near former colliery sidings and at sections abutting terraced housing in Batley; collision analyses by West Yorkshire Police and transport planners from WYCA have recommended engineering measures such as signal optimisation, reduced speed limits, and improved street lighting. Enforcement operations by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and road safety campaigns involving Highways England partners target vulnerable-user collisions and heavy vehicle conformity.

Public transport and cycling

Bus services operate along much of the route, linking stops for operators including First West Yorkshire and local independent carriers, providing frequent services to Wakefield and interurban links toward Leeds and Huddersfield. Park-and-ride and rail interchange opportunities exist at nodes adjacent to Dewsbury railway station and Wakefield Westgate, enabling multimodal journeys that integrate with services from Northern Trains and TransPennine Express. Cycling provision varies: segregated routes and advisory lanes are present on urban stretches near Wakefield council schemes, while rural or suburban sections rely on shared carriageways promoted in cycling strategies by Sustrans and local authorities. Active travel initiatives championed by Cycling UK and regional health boards seek to increase modal shift through infrastructure improvements and community engagement.

Landmarks and junctions

Key junctions include the northern terminus with the A638 road in Dewsbury, the interchange with the A642 road near Ossett, and the southern junction with the A61 road in Wakefield. Notable landmarks along or adjacent to the A662 comprise the 19th-century mill complexes in Batley and Earlsheaton, historic parish churches such as St Mary’s Church, Wakefield, and remnants of industrial archaeology tied to pits and rail sidings that served collieries around Horbury and Dewsbury Moor. Cultural sites reachable from the route include Bagshaw Museum and heritage venues linked to the textile legacy in Batley.

Maintenance and administration

Responsibility for maintenance is shared between Kirklees Council and Wakefield Council for the respective segments within metropolitan district boundaries, with strategic oversight and funding coordination through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Routine resurfacing, winter gritting, and drainage works are programmed under local highways maintenance contracts, while capital improvement projects are subject to business case assessments by West Yorkshire Transport Committee and sometimes receive central government funding administered by Department for Transport mechanisms. Coordination with utility companies and rail infrastructure owners such as Network Rail is required for works affecting crossings and adjacent assets.

Category:Roads in West Yorkshire