Motorists face major disruption on one of Bradford's busiest commuter routes when a major £400,000 maintenance programme gets under way next week.

Resurfacing work lasting 12 weeks is due to start on Monday along a busy stretch of Canal Road, stretching from Stanley Road to 50 metres beyond Frizinghall Road heading towards Shipley.

The work, which will be carried out by contractors Tarmac, is the second stage of Bradford Council's Canal Road maintenance programme which started last year when work on the Bradford end of the road was completed.

Traffic lights and lane closures will be in force while the work is being carried out, leading to fears that an already busy city artery will become clogged.

And companies lining Canal Road have raised concerns that the work could affect their businesses.

Andrew Walmesley, owner of ACW Garden Centre, said: "It will undoubtedly hit us in the pocket. At worst it will create a bottleneck that some people will avoid - which has got to cost us money.

"Hopefully, the traffic disturbance will be as little as possible. We are looking at revising our delivery charge so that we can get to people who can't get to us because of the roadworks."

June Dickinson, owner of Dickinson Caravans on Canal Road, said: "It's crucial we have access so we can get our caravans in and out. It's going to be a bit awkward for us but I suppose these jobs have to be done. We have just got to carry on and hope it doesn't affect us too much."

The scheme, which is funded by the Government's Transport Policies Programme, will involve footpath and drainage work as well as carriageway reconstruction.

The chairman of Bradford Council's highways sub-committee, Coun Phil Thornton, said the reconstruction work had been planned for some time. Although it would cause congestion, it was essential work.

"It's the sort of work we don't take lightly and we do apologise for any delays that are caused. There will be traffic management in place to make traffic flow as freely as possible. Motorists will clearly benefit once the work is completed."

The extent of the diversions would depend on the type of work being carried out.

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