Bypass plans axed with £36m costs a 'grim picture'

23 hours ago

Bill EdgarLocal Democracy Reporting Service

The bypass was proposed for the A68 at Toft Hill and High Etherley in County Durham

LDRS A field has been newly harvested with several bales of straw in black plastic left to be collected. Beyond the field are a number of, mainly older, houses. The blue sky above has just a few stray clouds — The bypass was proposed for the A68 at Toft Hill and High Etherley in County Durham

Plans for a long-awaited bypass have been axed after a council report revealed a "grim picture" with costs tripling to £36m.

Residents of Toft Hill and High Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, had called for the A68, which is used by some 7,500 vehicles a day, to be re-routed due to concerns about congestion, noise and air pollution.

But Reform-led Durham County Council said the scheme, which was first estimated to cost £12m but was now said to need £36.4m, was no longer value for money.

Around £8.9m already set aside for the scheme will be retained for future use with a further £750,000 allocated for works to improve road safety in Toft Hill, the council said.

It comes as a blow to campaigners, who have pleaded with successive council administrations for improvements, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Plans for the bypass were one of three schemes in the Bishop Auckland constituency to have benefited from £20m government levelling up cash, announced in 2021.

More than 500 people responded to the A68 Toft Hill bypass survey in 2024, which proposed five potential route options.

The exact route of the proposed bypass around Toft Hill had not been decided

LDRS An aerial view of Toft Hill and High Etherley villages in County Durham showing a patchwork of fields and roads. High Etherley is in the centre with Toft Hill to the left, but the latter is a much smaller village — The exact route of the proposed bypass around Toft Hill had not been decided

But Tim McGuinness, cabinet member for rural, farming and transport, said the plans had been "at a standstill" under the council's previous Conservative, Liberal Democrat and independent coalition administration, which "had nearly four years to get a spade in the ground and didn't".

McGuinness said the authority understood road safety concerns and was "committed to delivering a local highways improvement scheme regardless of the decision".

At a cabinet meeting, McGuinness said there were no additional funding options for the scheme, adding: "The report, unfortunately, paints a grim picture."

The councillor said the decision was "not taken lightly" and it was "regrettable that we cannot bear the cost burden of the scheme at this time".

Council leaders said the door remained open to potential future partnerships with the government or the North East Combined Authority, if funding would be provided.

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