York is set to suffer from ‘short term pain for long term gain’.
That’s the message as City of York Council embarks on an unprecedented programme of major transport schemes.
The roadworks are set to bring months of travel disruption – and residents are being urged to plan ahead.
At a media briefing this morning (Thursday), the council’s executive lead on transport Cllr Pete Kilbane said: “We understand that it’s going to be frustrating.
“But it will be short term pain for a long term gain, which should make it easier for everybody to move about the city.
“We’re investing millions in the transport network. We want to make it safer for walkers, wheelers, and cyclists.”
The council pledged to keep people informed of the impact on their journeys before work begins on projects.
It has already outlined the schemes on its ‘plan ahead’ web page.
And you can sign up for roadwork alerts here.
Five key projects
York has five big projects, which will create traffic disruption now and potentially up to 2025.
York Central
Leeman Road/Station Rise – temporary traffic signals are already in place during the construction of a revised road layout and will last up to 18 months. A full 24/7 closure of the Leeman Road Tunnel is needed for works in mid 2025.
Water End – Four weeks of overnight closures in March/April. Extended period of 24/7 westbound lane closure to undertake works on Severus Bridge – timings to be confirmed.
Tadcaster Road
Work is underway and will last until autumn on an upgrade of the road’s drainage, plus improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and buses.
Work is carried out Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 6.00pm, with traffic signals and narrow lanes.
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Station Gateway
Work will start at a date to be fixed this autumn. It will include demolishing the Queen Street bridge, with two weekend closures of Queen Street. A diversion route will run through the LNER car park.
The work should improve access to the station and add ‘welcoming new public spaces’.
York Outer Ring Road
Work to repair two bridges on the A1237 in the north of the city are due to end next week.
Dualling of the A1237 from the A19 to Hopgrove junctions is the next big project, subject to planning permission. Advance utility works on the roundabouts could begin later this year, with the main works to ‘commence in 2024/25’.
City centre security measures
This rolling programme has already begun, with the anti-terror bollards installed on Lendal and High Petergate, and work underway to install them on Spurriergate.
Walking and cycling ‘unaffected’
The council says that ‘active travel’ – walking, wheeling and cycling – will be ‘largely unaffected’ by the schemes.
Cllr Kilbane said: “I do want to stress that, for residents who can, this is a real opportunity for them to actually change the way that they travel around the city.
“We are going to maintain active travel routes – for cycling, walking, wheeling – wherever possible.
“And for many people that may well be the quickest and easiest way for them to get around during the progress of the works.”
Detailed plans for the individual projects “will be developed and publicised in advance with signed diversions provided for road/lane closures”.
Work to mitigate the traffic disruption will include:
- Efforts to coordinate the works to reduce the impact as much as possible – although “the scale of the some of the projects means that works are difficult to suspend/remove once commenced”
- CCTV monitoring of the road network to enable remote traffic signal changes to respond to problems
- Programming works to avoid peak times, around school times and holidays, and avoiding key events like the races and Christmas market.
Cllr Kilbane said the disruption will be worth it. “Essentially, we will be left with a network in the city that’s vastly improved. One that will be hopefully easier for everybody to move around.”
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