MOTORISTS are being warned they could face significant delays when a key York junction is shut for resurfacing.

City of York Council has announced three weeks will be spent resurfacing the Haxby Road, Wigginton Road and Clarence Street junction, and in Lowther Street, from Monday.

Carried out on behalf of the council by Tarmac Limited National Contracting, the work will take place between 9.15am and 4pm, from Monday to Friday.

But the resurfacing will also mean the road will have to be closed at the Haxby Road end of Lowther Street between 7pm and 11pm until the junction work is complete.

The council today said three-way temporary traffic signals will operate to control traffic through the junction.

A daytime road closure will be in place between Lowther Street's junctions with Haxby Road and Huntington Road for the duration of the project.

Signed diversion routes will operate for through traffic, and access will be maintained for residents' vehicles where it is safe to do so. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.

The council said the work has been planned to minimise disruption, but said travellers should expect increased congestion.

A city bus boss said there might be slight delays on some services.

Meanwhile, a three-week resurfacing project will also start at Eastholme Drive, between its junctions with Rawcliffe Lane and Howard Drive, on Friday.

The tarmac surface will be removed on Friday and Saturday, between 8am and 6pm, and on Sunday, between 10am and 5pm.

Following the removal of the surface, the underlying concrete panels will be cracked and seated before a new tarmac road surface can be put in place.

Cracking and seating is a specialist process that uses a hydraulic ram to break the concrete panels so that the whole surface is made flexible. The road will remain open to traffic.

But further phased road closures will be necessary when the resurfacing work takes place, and there will be disruption in accessing Eastholme Drive and nearby cul-de-sacs.

Bus services will be diverted through Shipton Road, and information will be displayed at bus stops to keep travellers informed.

Further information about the impact on bus services is available by phoning Bus Info on 01904 551400.

Peter Edwards, First commercial director, said the company had been consulted by the council about the work.

He said: "It will not be any more difficult for us than other resurfacing projects. We will work around them as best we can. We are not expecting major

difficulties, but some journeys may have slight delays."

Updated: 10:07 Friday, February 17, 2006