A COUNCIL has been accused of wasting millions of pounds after it decided to scrap a flagship road improvement scheme.

Darlington Borough Council has revealed it will replace the “through-about”, which links the Eastern Transport Corridor with Haughton Road, with a conventional roundabout.

The £12m scheme, designed to ease congestion into Darlington town centre, has received constant criticism from motorists since it first opened in 2008, with many saying it has increased journey times rather than reduce them.

Councillor Heather Scott, Darlington’s Conservative leader, has accused the council of making an “expensive mistake” and not “listening to its people”.

But Cllr Nick Wallis, ward councillor for Haughton and Springfield, dismissed suggestions the decision was proof the “through-about” had failed, but admitted it had been a “controversial” issue from day one.

The changes were announced after the council received £3.3m from the Department of Transport to improve road infrastructure in the town. Money will also be used to improve the Yarm Road and McMullen Road roundabout, with work due to start in March 2018.

The £1.5m project will increase the roundabout’s capacity and open up access to the proposed Ingenium Parc industrial hub off Salters Lane.

Yarm Road and Lingfield Way junction will benefit from £800,000 of investment, with the addition of traffic lights and a cycle route alongside Lingfield Way as far as Allington Way – which is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

One daily commuter in Darlington said: “These changes are so long overdue – it beggars belief that the council didn’t react sooner to update and adapt the roads that are incredibly congested every single day.

“It’s been such an expensive mistake and not only has it cost the council money, it has cost plenty of residents a lot of wasted time.”

Cllr Scott, said: “It is good the council have started to listen now, but is a shame they didn’t in the beginning – they got this wrong and could have avoided a really expensive mistake if they listened to its people.

“It is fantastic that lots of money is being spent on roads around the town, but funding for roads is under resourced – and it is a shame that this decision was made in the first place.”

Cllr Wallis said: “The through-about has been controversial from day one - residents are convinced it lengthens the waiting time for queuing traffic.

“Heading north from the town centre at peak times can be a frustrating business, and over the summer, I spoke to businesses on Albert Hill who told me that the through-about was causing them significant delays.

“Over the years we have reflected back these frustrations to the Highway Department, and pressed for change.

“The council has conducted a detailed review of the through-about, which found that with the expected growth in traffic as Darlington economy expands, improvements could be secured by increasing lanes and moving towards a more conventional roundabout arrangement.”

A council spokesperson added: “As part of managing the road network and planning for the future, reviews are regularly undertaken and these have identified a number of pinch points starting to materialise, which include the through -about.

“A detailed review was carried out, which found that improvements could be secured by increasing lanes and moving towards a more conventional roundabout arrangement.

“The design ten to 15 years ago will have taken into account the known information and assumptions at the time.

“We have reviewed the design with the latest information and latest traffic modelling techniques to secure improvements.

“It is not unusual to have to make modifications at junctions especially given the growth the DETC has supported coming forward in Darlington.”