'˜Near misses' lead to series of road closures during bypass project

Road closures have had to be enforced during a major road improvement scheme in North Yorkshire following a series of near misses

North Yorkshire County Council confirmed yesterday that officers have had to overhaul the traffic management arrangements during the latest phase of the reconstruction of the Selby bypass.

The council’s executive member for highways, Coun Don Mackenzie, revealed that road closures have been put in place on Marsh Lane and Thief Lane at Barlow for safety reasons.

He added: “This follows reports of HGVs using these roads, which is inappropriate for roads of this type, and of near misses.

“These are single track roads with no verges or passing places. While we are doing all we can to minimise disruption, the safety of road users must be paramount.”

The closures will be in place for three weeks while work is carried out on the Wishing Well roundabout. Police will monitor the closures and take enforcement action if necessary.

An “access only” restriction has been put in place on East Common Lane from the bypass to the Barlow Grange junction with Thief Lane. Access to Barlow Grange will be via the official diversion route.

The work is the second phase of a three-phase project to reconstruct the bypass and covers the stretch of the A63 between the A19 Brayton roundabout and A1041 Wishing Well roundabout as well as their approaches.

The scheme, which is expected to take about 12 weeks to complete depending on weather conditions, involves the full closure of the road for the duration of the work.