Work is resuming at Bowburn’s Junction 61

As the two-week lockdown of healthy people became a two-month house arrest-fest, things looked lonely for roads.

However, The Council has resumed work on Junction 61 at Bowburn, one of the projects it halted in March. The authority stopped all roadworks, barring critical and emergency works, but now a number projects are resuming including Bowburn, which was due to be completed in Spring 2020.

Work on the junction, which links the A1M, A177 and A688 south of Bowburn, started in June 2019 to improve the junction for the ever growing river of vehicles.

From today, Monday 11 May, daily road closures will be in place from 6am to 6pm until Sunday 7 June. This will include undertaking works on the A688 at the Roadchef junction, around the northern edge of the junction and the traffic island at the main junction; the A1M north exit slip road to the A688; resurfacing the junction and finalising new traffic lights.

The southbound entrance and exit on the A1(M) Bowburn will be closed with no access to the B6291 towards Coxhoe, and A177 towards Bowburn from the southbound entrance from today for eight days until Wednesday 20 May.

The Northbound entrance and exit on the A1(M) Bowburn will be closed with no access to the A177 towards Bowburn or Roadchef services on the A688 from Thursday 21 May until Sunday 7 June. There will also be no east to west access from Coxhoe to Bowburn during this period.

Diversions will be in place throughout the duration of these works and those making essential journeys that would ordinarily take them along these roads are advised to allow extra time when planning their route.

All dates and times are provisional. All dates and times are provisional.

The council is reinstating highway services where it is safe to do so with an invisible virus in the air.  Staff must now adhere to social distancing.

Mark Readman, the Council’s highway services manager, said: “The health of all of us is of the utmost importance and so it was only right that we halted all roadworks except critical and emergency works in line with government guidance aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus. All the projects and services we are now resuming or reinstating are firmly in line with the latest guidance, and we will ensure the safety of staff on these works.”

More information is available at visit www.durham.gov.uk/traffic


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