A MOTORWAY in the North-East is to be upgraded in a £330,000 project.

A five-mile stretch of the northbound A1(M) will be resurfaced in the Darlington area from the interchange with the A66 at junction 57 at Barton, to junction 58 at Burtree.

The work will start on Monday, November 12, and will take a week to complete.

The northbound route will close between 10pm and 6am each night between the two junctions.

Motorists face a diversion on to the eastbound A66 from junction 57 and the northbound A67 and B6280, before joining the eastbound A68 and re-joining the A1(M) at junction 58.

Steve Bishop, Highways Agency project manager, said: “This is important work to ensure users of the A1(M) around Darlington can continue to enjoy safe, smooth and reliable journeys.

“This project will extend the life of the carriageway and provide a smoother and quieter road surface benefiting road users and people living in the vicinity of the route.

“We have planned this work to take place overnight when traffic volumes are relatively low but drivers planning to use the A1(M) overnight should build a little extra time into their journey plans to take the diversion.

“Drivers approaching junction 57 of the A1(M) should also exercise a little extra caution in approaching the diversion route as a lane two closure and a speed reduction will be in place ahead of the interchange.”