A TRAFFIC-clogged road running through Colne should be lowered to make way for the reopening of a railway line linking East Lancashire with Yorkshire, says a transport group.

Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) has raised the ambitious idea it believes would allow for the reinstatement of the 11-mile of track linking Colne and Skipton, while also providing a solution to rush hour traffic snarl ups in Vivary Way.

The group has been pressing for the reopening of the line which was closed in 1970.

Estimate for repoening is £60million.

It has now come up with several proposals which would see:
* Vivary Way lowered and a bridge built at the current road level to carry trains, pedestrians and cyclists over the road
* Another bridge built over Vivary Way to take traffic from Barrowford Road up North Valley Road and to the North Valley roundabout
* Traffic lights removed in Vivary Way to allow motorists to get on and off the M65 more quickly.

SELRAP spokesman Andy Shackleton said the prop-osals were just ideas and that engineers had not yet been consulted, although members of the group had been told Vivary Way was designed so it could be lowered if the railway line was ever reopened.

Mr Shackleton added no costings had been drawn for the new scheme but claimed it would be cheaper than building the proposed A56 by-pass to take traffic away from Pendle's congested villages.

He added: "We truly believe it would ease traffic on the road and at the same time give us the railway line we need.

"A member was told when Vivary Way was designed it was done so with the possibility that if the railway line was reopened the road could be lowered.

"These are just our views at the moment.

"It would need the involvement of profess-ionals and you can be assured it would be expensive but not as expensive as building a by-pass.

"We want to gauge the reaction of the public."

Mr Shackleton said the group was not against the proposed by-pass or motorists and wanted to give people the choice of using cars or public transport.

He said the lowered Vivary Way, which runs over the current track bed, would gently rise after the railway line to meet its current level by the North Valley roundabout.

Mr Shackleton said: "Some people think we are against motorists and want to see Vivary Way become a huge flyover.

"We hope these proposals dispel some of these rumours."