WORKS will next week begin to complete the first phase of the construction of the Bedale bypass.

The £42m construction project got underway in February and the bypass is designed to reduce traffic flow by half through Bedale, Leeming Bar and Aiskew.

The bypass, which is expected to be open to traffic in autumn 2016, will be approximately three miles long, from Northallerton Road, on the eastern outskirts of Leeming Bar, to a new junction on the A684 near Bedale Golf Club.

It crosses the A1(M) approximately at its midpoint, where it will connect with the recently-completed junction as part of the Highways Agency’s A1 Dishforth to Barton upgrade.

And the county council will begin work next week to tie-in the existing A684 Northallerton to Bedale road with the new roundabouts to complete the first phase.

The contractor will begin at the Bedale roundabout on November 9 and the Northallerton roundabout on November 23. The majority of the work will be carried out under off-peak lights to minimise disruption to the travelling public.

Traffic management will not be in operation every day and it is expected that the roundabouts will be open to traffic in December though some finishing works will be necessary afterwards.

“The Bedale bypass has been long-awaited and our contractors are progressing well with the works,” said the county’s executive member for highways, Cllr Don Mackenzie.

“We are all looking forward to the road’s completion next year.

“The construction of the roundabouts at either end of the bypass was always going to cause some disruption but the contractors have made every effort to keep this to a minimum.”