A SECTION of the A1 (M) is set to be resurfaced, with work starting on Monday until the end of the year.

Highways England is set to replace a 10-mile stretch of the A1(M) southbound carriageway between Leeming and Ripon interchange.

The environmentally-friendly method will see around 100,000 tonnes of tarmac being laid in a faster manner than usual, with 60 per cent less waste going to landfill.

The technology – a machine called a cold repaver – grinds up the road to be recycled, combining it with fresh bitumen and cement before laying it back down immediately.

A spokeswoman for Highways England said the current carriageway surface was laid eight years ago and has reached the end of its serviceable life.

She said: "While replacing the surface we're reconstructing the lower layers of the road which should increase the length of time before it requires further maintenance."

Highways England project manager Ted Chamberlain said: “We used this method last year on the northbound carriageway and it was a great success. The machine allows us to reconstruct bigger areas of road much faster. The wagons don’t have to make anywhere near as many trips, and the new road lasts a lot longer, meaning we won’t need to repeat the process for up to 20 years.

“This technology was rolled out in 2016 when we resurfaced a stretch of the A1 in Northumberland, and the lessons we learnt from that work gave us the chance to refine the process and provide an even smoother journey for drivers.”

The resurfacing is due to start on Monday 29 July, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Two lanes will remain open in both directions for the duration of the scheme and a speed limit will be in place for the safety of road workers and drivers.

From Monday 22 July there will be a week of lane and carriageway closures overnight so the team can install a contraflow, where both north and southbound traffic will travel on the northbound carriageway. During this work clearly-signed diversions will be in place.