HIGHWAYS bosses say a planning application for a £65 million upgrade of York Outer Ring Road is imminent - and they hope work can start in a year's time.

The project is set to include dualling a long section of the A1237 between Rawcliffe and Little Hoprove, which suffers severe congestion at busier times.

City of York Council says the upgrade will improve the city’s highway network by reducing congestion and moving car journeys out of the city centre, and will also enhance the pedestrian and cycle experience with significant improvements to sustainable transport.

They said the authority's executive will be asked to note progress and approve a number of recommendations to progress the scheme at a meeting next week.

"Work has been ongoing to complete the detailed design, develop the final business case and acquire land for the scheme,"they said.

"Executive members will also be asked to consider options to mitigate potential delays, due to the time that utility diversion works can often take.

"These enabling works would allow the full scheme, which is subject to planning permission, to progress. Diverting utilities at an early stage will help to avoid costly delays to the project.

"Subject to planning consent, it is hoped construction work will start in mid-2023 for two years, with completion in 2025."

They said the scheme included upgrades to six sections of the road, including five roundabouts at Clifton Moor, Wigginton Road, Haxby Road, Strensall Road and Monks Cross.

Council leader Keith Aspden said the submission of a planning application would signal a 'major next step forward' for the project.

"Upgrading the Ring Road provides us with an opportunity to reduce congestion and journey times and enhance pedestrian and cycle facilities, which would see car journeys move out of the city centre, aiding in our continued work to improve air quality in the city centre," he said.

"The consultation process has made it clear that residents and stakeholders are squarely behind this scheme and we are committed to taking it forward."

The full scheme is valued at over £65 million and is funded by the council, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Department for Transport.

Mark Ramsden, of the West Yorkshire authority, said it was great to be working alongside the other organisations to progress the 'vital' transport improvements.

An outer ring road for York has been proposed since as long ago as the late 1940s and the first section, the A64 York Bypass, opened in the 1970s as a dual carriageway running around the south and east of the city.

The road circling the west and north of York was built in the 1980s as a single carriageway, despite criticisms that this would be insufficient to cope with increasing traffic volumes.