A multi-million pound project to reduce congestion on one of the county’s busiest sections of road will go ahead following a successful bid for funding.
Motorists and businesses will be celebrating the news that the £3.1m project, carried out and part funded by Durham County Council, will see work undertaken on the A167 in Chester-le-Street. The junction of Park Road and Junction 63 of the A1(M) motorway will be widened to instantly ease the congestion as well as improve access to adjacent development sites. Currently the area sees significant queues of traffic in the peak hours on both the motorway and the local road network.
The Department for Transport will provide £2.2m as part of the Government’s Local Pinch Point Fund. The remainder of the money will be provided by the council. The £170m fund was created by the Government to tackle bottlenecks on the local highway network that may be restricting the movement of goods and people and impeding growth.
Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “We’re delighted that our bid was successful and look forward to making improvements that will make life easier for motorists as well as boosting the local economy.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2014. Utility diversion works will commence in early 2014 with construction beginning in March.
