A NEW road replacing a Victorian railway bridge has been officially reopened.

The old Villa Real bridge, near Leadgate, which had to be closed due to its poor condition, was demolished during the major £2.4 million scheme.

Due to the narrowness of the bridge, the old layout only allowed traffic to flow in one direction at a time, causing a bottleneck for users of the route.

The demolition of the bridge has also removed ongoing maintenance costs of the ageing structure.

But the scheme has been hit by problems and was completed several months later than expected.

Delays were caused by legal issues, contractors and utility companies being unable to start work when needed and the discovery of soil and clinker in the ground.

It caused has also cause problems for businesses in the village of Leadgate who have complained of a drop in trade since work began.

Durham county councillor Alan Shield said: “The time delays have caused extensive disruption to village life with buses, vehicles and pedestrians being diverted via Bradley Industrial estate, the whole community have been extremely patient with the disruption caused by this project.

“The introduction of this new road should provide Leadgate with an opportunity to improve the economic prosperity of the village for existing trades people and encourage new commercial businesses to relocate to the area.”

The new road layout is a direct, two-lane carriageway linking Front Street in Leadgate and Villa Real, allowing for traffic to flow in both directions.

As well as the new and improved road, the scheme has also seen new bus laybys installed.

Councillor Watts Stelling said: “It will make a big difference to this part of Leadgate.”

Crossing islands for pedestrians and cyclists using the coast-to-coast route have been added and the section of the popular route has also been widened and improved.

Councillor Neil Foster, the council’s member for economic regeneration, said: “It has been a lengthy and complex scheme to bring forward but we hope that everyone will now be able to appreciate all of the benefits.

“We’d also like to thank local residents and businesses for their patience.”