THE favoured route of a new £2 million Selby scheme to bypass a notorious accident blackspot has been unveiled.

Highways Agency chiefs have announced the preferred path of the mile-long mini-bypass at Osgodby, which is aimed at cutting the number of road casualties at the A19 junction with the A63.

The road would go south of Osgodby village between the new roundabout, being built on the A19 at the northern end of the Selby bypass, and the A63.

The preferred route was backed by 69 per cent of people who gave their views in a public consultation exercise held in January. More than 300 people attended an exhibition in the village hall to check out the proposals. Steve Sexton, Highways Agency project manager, said: "The main purpose of the bypass is to improve road safety, particularly at the junction of the A19 and A63 which has a very poor safety record."

Between June 1996 and June 2001 there were 43 accidents, in which people were injured, on the A19 and A63 in this area, including one fatality and nine serious injuries. Of these crashes, 16, including four where people were seriously injured, occurred at the crossroads, giving it a accident toll three times the national average for this type of junction.

"A high proportion of these accidents involve vehicles turning right. A bypass will significantly reduce the number of conflicting manoeuvres at the crossroads and improve safety," said Mr Sexton.

The bypass will also take away many of the 7,500 vehicles - a tenth of which are lorries - which pass through the village each day.

The next stage of the proposal will see highways chiefs working on a more detailed design for the scheme.

If this goes ahead as planned, draft legal orders for the scheme could be published in summer 2003 when people will have a further chance to examine the proposal.

Updated: 12:15 Wednesday, September 25, 2002