Safety measures to be put in place at B6297 Kinninvie crossroads

Durham County Council has announced a package of improvement at the Kinninvie, near Barnard Castle, where a crash between a car and a van happened earlier this year - resulting in serious damage to a nearby house.

The council is introducing a new vehicle activated warning sign and replacing give way signs with stop signs on the northbound approach to the crossroads at Kinninvie.

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There will also be new road markings and high friction surfacing on both the northbound and southbound approaches, as well as some additional signage.

Similar improvements will be made on approaches to the nearby crossroads at B6279 Moor Lane/C42 Dent Gate Lane and C42 Dent Gate Lane/C43 New Broomielaw.

Dave Lewin, Durham County Council’s strategic traffic manager, said: “We’ve shared details of these planned improvements with a number of residents who have been in touch with us, as well as Marwood Parish Council, and their responses have been very positive.

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“We’ve also discussed these improvements with the police and though we consider them to be suitable and proportionate we will of course be monitoring the situation.

“The vehicle-activated sign will be equipped with flashing lights and will warn northbound drivers that they are approaching a stop line. It will be complemented by a number of other improvements in that area.

“We’ll now get on with doing the necessary work and expect it to be complete by the end of October. We will be leaving the temporary traffic lights on all approaches to the crossroads in place while the work is carried out

Reacting to news of the Simon Land, clerk of Woodland Parish Council, said: "We are very pleased with this news.

"All the people and councillors I have spoken to, as well as the chair of Marwood Parish Council are pleased the county council has taken note of what local people have said.

"We hope this will prevent any further incidents. Having a big flashing sign might just help - and the fact that people have to stop from both directions.  

"We have been asking for that. It was always a stop for southbound traffic, but it was never stop going northbound for some bizarre reason."

He added: "What it has highlighted is that it's not just a problem with that junction. The junction further east has been a slightly bigger problem - but there just aren't any houses to hit. They go through that fence a lot."

The revised plans were drawn up after previous plans to close a portion of the C41 road through an 18-month-long “experimental closure order” met with opposition from angry residents and businesses.