ROADWORKS on a busy route have been removed after the first stage of work on a new roundabout was completed.

The T-junction between the A167 and B6300 at Sunderland Bridge, near Durham City, is being replaced with a roundabout in a £1.8m scheme to ease congestion and improve safety near the Honest Lawyer hotel.

Initial work to build earth embankments either side of the A167 using almost 8,800 cubic metres of material has now been completed.

The soft ground next to the river will now be allowed to settle for three months before construction work resumes at the start of April.

As a result, temporary traffic management measures – including a lane closure, 30mph speed limit and bus stop suspensions - have now been removed.

Cllr Neil Foster, Durham County Council Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “We’d like to thank the public for their patience while the first stage of this vital work has been completed.

“We look forward to delivering a huge improvement to a junction which has caused difficulty for motorists for many years.”

Work was agreed after a Durham County Council report identified that around 20,000 vehicles use the A167 and more than 5,200 vehicles travel on the B6300 every day.