YORK city council chiefs have reminded motorists that a major city centre route will be closed from Monday for essential carriageway resurfacing.

Parts of Gillygate were last resurfaced in the 1980s and 1990s, and the road service is now coming to the end of its lifespan.

The busy road will be closed from Monday until Friday, November 4, and from Monday, November 7, to Friday, November 11, between 8am and 6pm.

City of York Council said its highway chiefs had been working closely with local bus operators to ensure that services could operate as smoothly as possible during the closure.

A number of key routes have been diverted to minimise delays, including the green line Park & Ride service, which will travel on Bootham coming in and out of the city, rather than via Leeman Road, for the duration of the road closure.

Jason Walker, from the city council's engineering consultancy, said: "We recognise that the work will cause disruption to local residents businesses and regular road users and we have been working closely with those who may be affected to make sure any disruption is kept to a minimum.

"However, we are expecting some delays and would ask motorists to avoid the area if possible, and build extra time into their journey."

Signed diversion routes will be in place. Pedestrian access will be maintained and shops and business will be open as normal.

Updated: 10:11 Friday, October 28, 2005