Drivers will face more than two months of disruption in Preston city centre – while a major road is made shopper-friendly.
Work is due to start at the end of this month on the Ring Way and Friargate junction, making it easier for pedestrians to cross the busy road.
But highways bosses have warned the work will take between eight and 10 weeks to complete.
Traffic wi
ll be diverted but road chiefs have promised no lanes will be shut during peak hours.
Planners hope the work will boost trade, particularly in Friargate Brow, by bringing the two halves of Friargate together.
For the first time, pedestrians will be given priority over cars and will cross Ring Way on wide granite pavements in one go, rather than being forced to wait in the middle of the road.
Stan Eaton, licensee of the Old Black Bull on the corner of Friargate and Ringway, said he had not been warned about the work but said: "We've got this ring road through the centre of town and it's bad for pedestrians going across.
"It's an awkward junction, particularly for people who don't know the phasing of the lights."
Peter Bell, managing director of Preston Bus, said he hoped for "minimum disruption" to services and said: "It's a good time of year to be doing roadworks, during the summer."
The Ring Way work is part of a wide scheme to make city centre roads more pedestrian-friendly, funded by European cash through the CIVITAS scheme.
Other parts of the project include 20mph zones in the Winckley Square area and rising bollards to allow the closure of Chapel Street.
A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The project starts at the end of this month, but a definite date is still to be set.
"Works are expected to last up to 10 weeks and has been planned to minimise disruption to road users.
"There should be no lane closures during peak hours."
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