Drivers who have endured a year of disruption because of roadworks around Norwich are facing even more in 2017, with more than £3m worth of further changes earmarked for roads around the city.

But council bosses insist that the pain will be worth it, with drivers, pedestrians and cyclists set to benefit from a string of new schemes.

A Christmas hiatus is currently in place after months of roadworks in roads such as Ber Street, Golden Ball Street, Tombland, The Avenues, Colegate, Queens Road and Westlegate,

Next year will see other major projects such as the closure of All Saints Green to traffic and work on the Sweet Briar Road/Dereham Road roundabout as part of the Transport for Norwich scheme.

And the Norwich highways agency committee - made up of city and county councillors - yesterday approved or agreed to put out for consultation a further £3m of projects. They included:

Cringleford/Eaton

A £700,000 shake up in how traffic uses parts of Eaton and Cringleford was approved, with four months of work due to start in April.

The introduction of 20mph zones, traffic lights on Cringleford Bridge, crossing changes and wider footpaths are among changes.

One of the key proposals is to install traffic signals either side of Cringleford Bridge, which respond to the number of vehicles crossing in each direction.

A 20mph zone will be brought in along Newmarket Road in Cringleford and Eaton Street in Eaton, extending into the junctions of Bluebell Road, Church Lane and Colney Lane.

But concern was expressed over cyclists and pedestrians having to share the path on the hill leading down from Newmarket Road.

Judith Lubbock, Liberal Democrat city councillor for Eaton, said: 'There is support for much of the scheme, but not for the shared path for cyclists and pedestrians.

'There's concern about the speed of cyclists coming down the steep hill and the narrow nature of the path down through Eaton Street.'

Officers said they had tried hard to bring in a segregated cycle path, rather than a shared one, but it had not proved possible.

Work is likely to start in April next year, to be finished in July.

St Crispin's Road

Consultation will be launched into a proposed £900,000 scheme for a new crossing over St Crispin's Road, near Anglia Square, from St George's to Botolph Street.

The existing underpass would be filled in.

Newmarket Road

The go-ahead was given to spend £300,000 to improve the shared footpath between the Daniels Road roundabout and the slip road at Eaton.

And consultation will start on an £800,000 project to put a one-way segregated cycleway between the Daniels Road roundabout and Hanover Road.

Mile Cross Lane

Consultation was agreed on a £500,000 scheme along Mile Cross Lane, to widen footpaths so they can be used by cyclists and pedestrians.

Angel Road and Waterloo Road

Consultation will take place on a £340,000 scheme to slow down traffic speeds, which could see the introduction of 20mph speed limits, advisory cycle lanes, and speed humps in the area.