THE notorious Bilbrough Top gap on the A64 near York will shut next spring, highways bosses revealed today.

The Highways Agency said it had decided the gap in the dual carriageway central reservation must close when work starts on construction of a new flyover.

Previously, it had said the gap would not be closed until the flyover is completed in spring 2004 - exposing motorists to another 18 months of deadly danger as drivers pass through the gap while crossing from one carriageway to the other.

But the agency denied the move was a response to last weekend's fatal accident involving a 19-year-old student, whose mother was making such a manoeuvre through the gap.

It said that during detailed design work on the flyover, it had recently calculated that it needed the central reservation land to construct a new temporary lane while the works were in progress.

This would be used to avoid the lengthy imposition of contraflows, which could lead to a repeat of the congestion and chaos caused last year by roadworks at Copmanthorpe.

Asked why the agency could not simply shut the gap now, following the accident and calls for closure by Selby District Council and Selby MP John Grogan, a spokeswoman said immediate closure was simply not possible.

She said it would be necessary to advertise closure proposals and invite objections, and it might then even be necessary to hold a public inquiry.

However, the inspector's go-ahead for the flyover, following a public inquiry last year, included permission to close the gap once work had started.

Local district councillor Brian Percival, who sparked Selby council's call for immediate closure of the gap, said the decision to close next spring was not good enough. "It's better sooner than later, but this means you will still have a winter of carnage to get through," he said.

He claimed it had not taken so long to close another gap nearby, at Colton Lane End, nor had it been necessary to hold a public inquiry.

He attacked the red tape excuse for not closing the gap now, saying: "People do not have to go through red tape when they enter the gates of heaven."

Updated: 16:07 Friday, September 13, 2002