THE northbound A1 in North Yorkshire will be closed this weekend as part of the A1 Leeming to Barton major road scheme.

It will be shut from 8pm on Saturday until 6am on Monday between junction 50 at Leeming Bar and Catterick North.

Contractors working on behalf of Highways England will be laying more than 1,100 tonnes of new road surface as they reconstruct the northbound carriageway. The southbound carriageway will remain open.

Northbound traffic will be directed off the A1 at junction 49 and will re-join at junction 60.

The £380m Highways England project, which began in 2014, will replace the existing dual carriageway with a new three-lane motorway which will open next year.

Project manager Tom Howard said: “Our contractors will be replacing the existing carriageway with a new road surface which is why it is essential we close this section of the A1.”

Drivers who intend to travel northbound on the A1 during the closure are being advised to check the latest traffic conditions before they set off. Clearly signed diversions will be in place and drivers are advised to allow for an extra 30 minutes to their journey time.