Motorists warned of road closure

Motorists are being warned of a road closure as work continues on an £11m traffic scheme in County Durham.

The A688 Wheatley Hill to Bowburn link road is being constructed to improve links between the A1(M) and the A19.

As part on the ongoing project, the C12A road between Bowburn and Byers Garth will be closed to traffic for 14 weeks from Monday.

The closure affects a stretch of the road between Cassop Grange Farm and Byers Garth.

John Richardson, Durham County Council's director of environment, said: "We are implementing the full closure in order to maintain a safe method of working by removing the need to operate heavy plant and machinery in close proximity to road users.

Traffic diversions

"Some delays and increased journey times will be inevitable throughout the duration of these works, and we apologise for any inconvenience they cause."

Traffic will be diverted onto the A177 and the B6291, he added.

The scheme, expected to take 15 months, was first granted planning consent in 2002, but ran into a series of delays including legal challenges and a public inquiry, all of which were overcome.

The 4km road will run from a new roundabout on the B6291 (formerly the A177), just south of the A1 interchange at Bowburn, to another roundabout which will be built at Cassop Moor.