MOTORISTS are facing further misery after officials revealed the £380m upgrade of the A1 will not be complete until March.

The works to upgrade the A1 between Leeming and Barton by replacing the existing dual carriageway with a three lane motorway started in March 2014 and was due to finish in June 2017.

Early last year, officials said the work would be finished in December, but numerous archaeological finds and the discovery of a major Roman settlement at Scotch Corner held up progress.

More recently Highways England said the work would be completed this winter, without providing a specific date.

But the agency's website now says work is due to end 'by March 2018'.

The works will provide a new local access road alongside the new motorway, improving safety for local traffic.

Access to the motorway will be via a new grade separated junction at Catterick and an improved junction at Scotch Corner.

In September, a six-mile section of the A1 between Leeming and Catterick opened.

The southern section between junction 51 at Leeming and junction 52 at Catterick became a three lane motorway.

Fort Bridge was then opened in November.

The old bridge was removed so the motorway could be widened to three lanes.