A £200,000 scheme aimed at improving one of the gateways to York will start early next year.

The alterations to Blossom Street are designed to cut down on delays for motorists heading into and out of the city, as well as making the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

The programme of work, drawn up by City of York Council, will focus on the area around Blossom Street and Holgate Road and their junctions with The Mount and East Mount Road, with the current traffic lights being replaced by newer versions.

Part of the road surface at the corner of Holgate Road will be resurfaced and the pavement will be widened, while pedestrian crossings will be modernised and cycle feeder lanes will be installed in Blossom Street. Another cycle route will also be introduced in Holgate Road, starting at the iron bridge over the railway line.

The scheme, which is expected to start in February or March and take about four weeks to complete, will also involve building a larger bus shelter outside Reel Cinema in Blossom Street and a new shelter for passengers catching the No.3 and No.4 services. A stop line and traffic signals will be introduced in Holgate Road, near Holgate Villas, with the intention of cutting down on bottlenecks.

The council has said the project will not lead to any car lanes being removed.

Coun Dave Merrett, the council’s cabinet member for city strategy, said: “These works aim to get York moving by improving access to the city for all pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers and drivers,” said “Evidence shows a more free-flowing city improves York’s business prospects, air quality, safety and quality of life for all.”

A city-wide consultation in 2010 seeking residents’ views on improvements to the junction of Blossom Street, Queen Street, Nunnery Lane and Micklegate saw more than 5,250 people take part, with proposals for removing traffic lanes being rejected. New pedestrian crossings with radar sensors were subsequently installed together with measures to give cyclists turning out of Queen Street into Blossom Street a five-second head-start over other traffic.

Full details of the next phase of work are available at www.york.gov.uk/council/consultations/current/blossomst/