A64 York tailbacks blamed on slow-setting tarmac

Drivers faced long tailbacks when the reopening of a major road was delayed after freshly-laid tarmac failed to set in the warm weather.

The A64 westbound at Bishopthorpe Bridge, near York, had been due to open at 06:00 on Thursday following repairs.

However, Highways England said the tarmac was "still too hot" and the road remained shut until about 10:00, when one lane was reopened.

It led to tailbacks of up to 3.3 miles (5.3km) during the morning rush hour.

Highways England's project manager Chris Corcoran said: "Due to the high overnight temperatures, by the time the road was due to reopen at 06:00 the tarmac was still too hot to be driven on so the decision to leave a lane closure in place was taken on safety grounds."

He also warned that as daytime temperatures had risen the road was "unlikely to be sufficiently cooled for restrictions to be removed in time for this evening's rush hour".

He said the road would be closed between 20:00 on Thursday and 06:00 on Friday to allow road markings to be repainted.

However, work on the second lane of the bridge, which had been due to take place on Thursday evening, has been postponed to a later date, he added.

Highways England said it realised the closure had caused inconvenience for road users and urged them to allow extra time for journeys in the area.

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