Drivers using one of the busiest roads in the city are warned they will face disruption until at least March.

Delays are expected at the Dereham Road junction with Grapes Hill, Barn Road and St Benedict's Street on Norwich inner ring road, due to work being carried out on the traffic lights as part of the changes to the Dereham Road bus route.

Dereham Road has been selected as the first of six bus corridors where changes will give buses increased priority.

The traffic light arrangements at the junction are being changed to accommodate the changes, and the work, which starts early January, will see existing equipment upgraded and replaced.

The works are due to finish by the end of March, with temporary traffic lights used until then. Norfolk County Council have said these will not work as efficiently as the permanent ones, meaning delays are likely, particularly during rush hour.

As well as this, Dereham Road will be closed during night time in mid February for four nights, as the carriageway on the Dereham Road inbound and Barn Road junction is laid with new tarmac.

Norfolk County Council have said there will be signs showing alternative routes and information will be put up in advance to warn road users.

They have apologised for any inconvenience this may cause.

The proposed changes to the bus route have caused some controversy, because the original idea, estimated to cost �300,000, involved a ban on right turns into Old Palace Road from Dereham Road heading out of the city or into Heigham Road for cars heading into the city.

The Norwich Highways Agency Committee, made up of city and county councillors, asked engineers to come up with an alternative following public consultation.

The original proposal and an alternative option - retaining the right turns from Dereham Road by revising the junction layout, including road widening and a change to the phasing of the traffic lights, are being considered.

The final decision about the right turns at the junction will not be made until some time after the initial work starts.

Other changes on Dereham Road will include turning the existing bus lane into a 24 hour one and adding a new section of bus lane between Orchard Street and the junction with Barn Road.

For more information email norwich.transport@norfolk.gov.uk, telephone 0344 800 8009, or visit www.roadworks.norfolk.gov.uk

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