“The route proposed is half a bypass, which doesn’t solve half the problem. “It would dissect the village of Toft Hill, failing to solve anything for the houses at the very top of the village, and doing nothing at all for the residents, businesses and three schools in West Auckland. “What we want is to slow down, for the bid to be withdrawn to allow proper consultation. “If there’s overwhelming support for a different route, for a proper bypass from the A68 Cafe above Toft Hill down to the Oakley roundabout at West Auckland, rather than a link road, then a new bid could be submitted at the next opportunity.
A PETITION has been launched by campaigners in neighbouring villages who want to put the brakes on plans for a new road. Durham County Council and MP Dehenna Davison have applied for £20m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund for three projects across the Bishop Auckland constituency. If successful, £10.8m would go on re-routing the A68 to bypass Toft Hill, and the rest on reopening the historic Grade II listed Whorlton Bridge in Teesdale, which is currently shut because it is structurally unsafe, and towards a £15m scheme at Locomotion in Shildon. For years, community leaders, residents and businesses have agreed an A68 bypass is needed to alleviate the volume of traffic, particularly HGVs, passing through Toft Hill.
County Durham and Darlington MPs lobby for A68 improvements thenorthernecho.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenorthernecho.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A MAJOR road through the North-East has been described as a rust belt which holds back the region and leaves communities along its route neglected. Four MPs have called for action to improve the state of the A68, which runs from Darlington to Edinburgh via County Durham and Northumberland. Richard Holden, Dehenna Davison, Paul Howell and Peter Gibson – MPs for North West Durham, Bishop Auckland, Sedgefield and Darlington respectively – say it is time to deliver improvements to the road which were mooted back in 1951. They have asked for a meeting with Roads Minister Baroness Vere to make their case for works to the A68, along with a Northern bypass for Darlington.