MOTORISTS are being warned the A1 in North Yorkshire will be closed for 34 hours later this month to demolish Fort Bridge as part of the A1 Leeming to Barton major road scheme.

The road will be closed from 8pm on November 14 until 6am on November 16 in both directions between junction 51 at Leeming Bar and Scotch Corner.

The £380m road project, which began last year, will replace the existing dual carriageway with a new three-lane motorway. The bridge needs to be demolished to allow space for an extra lane to be added to the road network before being rebuilt at a later date.

In the meantime drivers will be able to use a new Catterick central junction which will open prior to the demolition – marking a major phase in the construction of the scheme.

The new junction will be located north of the existing junction at Catterick and will provide drivers with access to the A1 and the local access road.

Project manager Tom Howard said: “This is a significant milestone for the scheme and a complex piece of engineering, which is why it is essential we close sections of the A1.

“We will use 35-tonne excavators and are building a platform to accommodate a 500-tonne crane to remove the steel beams from the existing bridge structure.

“There will inevitably be delays at peak times and people should plan their journeys, using the many alternative routes that will be signposted off the A1 closure and leave extra time to complete their journeys."