Irate residents fear they could be facing months of delays still before the opening of a £12m road which has taken up to five years to build and has now been dubbed the road to nowhere.

In the meantime North Yorkshire county council say they are working to at least get the bridge opened for pedestrians so pupils can walk to school.

Drone footage captured the apparently completed North Northallerton link road which connects the two major routes from Darlington and Stokesley and the A19 into the town, but is not open to traffic. The main issue appears to be the road bridge over the Middlesbrough to Northallerton railway line.

Residents are calling for answers after councillors were told at a county council meeting two weeks ago that Highways were still awaiting a safety report on the structure from the developer as well as the bridge being approved by Network Rail. There was also concern over lighting and restricted space on crossings.

The Northern Echo: Aerial view of the North Northallerton link road which has now been dubbed the road to nowhere. Photo Aerialworx. Aerialworxenquiries@outlook.comAerial view of the North Northallerton link road which has now been dubbed the road to nowhere. Photo Aerialworx. Aerialworxenquiries@outlook.com (Image: Aerialworxenquiries@outlook.com)

Builders Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon who have built the 900 house estate at the centre of the North Northallerton development are jointly responsible for the new bridge. In a statement Taylor Wimpey said it is a complex project and health and safety is their priority.

They say following a road safety audit, Taylor Wimpey had submitted all relevant reports to the engineer for comment and their recommendations will be issued to North Yorkshire County Council for their consideration and approval.

They add: “As soon as the council grants approval, final works to the bridge will be undertaken by Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes.”

Resident Claire Hampson said: ”To the people in authority, please stop treating the townspeople of Northallerton and surrounding area like idiots and let us know what is going on.

“Weeks are going by and this is still the road to nowhere. There is a lot of speculation as to what the problem is. At the very very least we deserve an explanation.”

Another resident protested: “It’s absolutely ridiculous, the road is finished and yet no one can use it, even if they opened it up to pedestrians that might help, we could end up waiting months at this rate.”

Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and North Yorkshire county council were asked by the Darlington and Stockton Times for a date when the bridge would be reopened. None gave a reply, Taylor Wimpey said they will share updates with residents as soon as possible.

Executive member for North Yorkshire highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “There is immense frustration with the delayed opening of the North Northallerton link road and the council is pushing for the developer to complete the safety audit. The results of this are needed from them before the bridge can open.

“In the meantime, we are working with the developer and Network Rail to see if there is an opportunity to open the footway for pedestrians. This will be particularly useful to pupils walking to Northallerton School. Further discussions will be held this week to confirm whether it’s possible for us to achieve this welcome first step to finally opening the bridge.”

It was initially hoped the road would be built before the houses, but most of the 900 homes were finished before it started. Work on the link road was due to begin in 2017 and completed in spring 2019. It was only in July 2020 that work actually started and then the county council said it was due to be completed by late 2021.