COUNCILLORS will be asked to approve funding to dual a section of the York outer ring road next week.

City of York Council's Executive will be asked on Thursday, December 20, to recommend match funding of about £2.8m for the dualling of the road from the A19 Shipton Road to Little Hopgrove, Malton Road.

The council is being asked to contribute 10 per cent of the estimated £28m cost of the upgrade scheme, announced earlier this year, following on from the upgrades to seven roundabouts on the outer ring road.

Work is almost complete at Wetherby Road roundabout and Monks Cross is next in line, with ground clearance to take place in early 2019, and the council wants to join the dualling and roundabout schemes together to reduce costs and disruption.

If the match funding is approved, a formal Outline Business Case (OBC) would be submitted to the DfT this month.

Cllr Keith Aspden, Executive member for economic development and community engagement, said: “Residents, businesses and commuters have long called for the outer ring road to be dualled and I am pleased that we are now in a position to take a major step in delivering this project. Once completed, a dualled A1237 will improve journey times on one of our most busiest roads, benefitting residents, visitors and business."