by Andrew Hitchon, Adrian Royles and Mike Laycock

Highways chiefs confirmed today they intend closing a lethal gap on the A64 between York and Tadcaster.

And safety improvements costing £250,000 are to be carried out on the York-Scarborough section later this year, with roadworks disruption minimised by avoiding peak summer holiday periods.

The Evening Press reported recently that the Highways Agency was considering the possibility of shutting the gap in the dual carriageway central reservation at Colton Lane End, Bilbrough, where two motorists have died this year in collisions with vehicles passing through the gap.

The move followed an Evening Press "Close the Gaps" campaign, which won widespread support from hundreds of readers and villagers living near the A64.

The agency had previously argued that it would be impractical to shut such gaps until a new interchange and flyovers had been built to serve traffic in the Bilbrough area. Now agency area manager Peter Moffatt says it intends shortly publishing proposals to close the gap altogether. "Our ultimate aim is to close all the gaps, but this cannot be done until we can improve the junctions." Selby MP John Grogan, who backed the gap campaign, welcomed today's announcement, saying: "It is going to be a step-by-step approach, but it is as a result of a lot of local pressure and the Evening Press campaign that the Highways Agency has put its toe in the water and is proposing to close the gap at Colton Lane."

But he urged campaign supporters to keep up the pressure for the junction to be modified, despite the announcement.

"People should continue to write in to the Highways Agency because the proposal is not hard and fast. If there was a lot of local opposition to it the agency might back down," he said.

Meanwhile, a ban on U-turns through the gaps and certain right-turns, for example for lorries emerging from Colton Lane End, will come into force next Monday. "These measures will substantially reduce the accident risk for drivers," said Mr Moffatt.

The upgrade of the York-Scarborough section of the busy trunk road follows a study that looked at accident rates, road safety and traffic flows to identify where small-scale safety work could be carried out.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.