MAJOR changes will be made to a York road from next week, with new traffic lights and crossings installed.

From Monday (June 5), work will be carried out to resurface the road and footpaths at Clarence Street - off Gillygate and Lord Mayor's Walk - with new traffic lights and pedestrian crossings also to be installed.

The work is expected to take up to five weeks to complete, and will also see resurfacing carried out on sections of Claremont Terrace and Gillygate - which has been closed twice in recent months for roadworks.

Tony Clarke, head of transport at City of York Council, said the £180,000 scheme would be paid in part from the national Better Bus Area fund, and the upgrading of the route would ultimately "help all road users".

He said: "New traffic lights will be installed to make the junction more reliable and better able to adjust to changing traffic conditions. We are also resurfacing the road, installing new pedestrian crossings and introducing new ‘tactile’ paving to help people with who are blind or partially sighted."

Temporary traffic lights will be used at the junction of the roads between Monday, June 5, and Sunday, July 2, with some areas of the footpath also being closed while the surface is replaced. However, the council said no roads are expected to be completely closed during this phase.

The road will be closed between 8pm and 6am on the nights of July 3 to 5, to allow resurfacing between the York St John University access road and the northern end of Gillygate.

A council spokeswoman said there would be "a certain amount of noise and disruption", and "some delays are expected", with anyone aiming to travel through that area to plan ahead "particularly if they are travelling to York Hospital".

Information on alternative routes and the scheme is available at itravelyork.info