WORK will start today on a £22m overhaul of Beverley's transport system.
The Beverley Integrated Transport Plan (BITP) has been designed to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow in the town.
Work will include the introduction of the Beverley Southern Relief Road, which will run from the Morrison's roundabout around the south of Beverley to the A1174 Hull Road.
Changes will also be made to the Grovehill junction, Swinemoor roundabout and the Flemingate level crossing, as well as signing works to reclassify the road network in and around Beverley.
Councillor Stephen Parnaby, leader of East Riding Council, said: "We are pleased to be getting started on this important transport infrastructure scheme, which will provide both short and long-term benefits for Beverley and the wider East Riding.
"Unfortunately there will be some short-term disruption, unavoidable due to the nature of the works, but we hope to keep these to a minimum and would like to thank our residents, motorists and the travelling public in advance for their patience and understanding."
The work, carried out by Yorkshire contractor Birse Civils, is expected to be complete by early 2015.
As part of the scheme, Shepherds Lane will be closed permanently to vehicles from today. Long Lane will also be closed temporarily.
Once the project is complete, the whole length of Shepherds Lane will be accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians, with a controlled crossing over the A164 Minster Way.
While traffic is expected to increase on Swinemoor Lane due to rerouted traffic from the relief road, the main objective of the scheme is to reduce through-traffic volumes in the town centre.
The council estimates that streets such as Keldgate will see a 60 per cent reduction in traffic.
In order to manage traffic flows in Swinemoor Lane and Hull Road, the transport plan includes significant changes to the Grovehill roundabout. The roundabout will be made bigger and a computerised signal management system will be installed to sense traffic flow and speed.
Cllr Parnaby believes the scheme will benefit local employers and businesses.
He said: "The council was keen from the outset for local companies to share in the delivery of this scheme to provide a boost to the economy and Birse have been given a brief to source local expertise and materials wherever possible and to provide work experience and placements to help our local young people improve their skills and employment prospects."
