A690 road safety works

Early in 2023, the Department for Transport announced a list of 50 roads in the country which could benefit from road safety interventions through targeted investment. The A690 between Crook and Nevilles Cross was identified on that list and has been awarded £2.94 million from the Safer Roads Fund.

Through the Safer Roads Fund (Round 3) which was announced in July 2023, local highway authorities were invited to bid for funding which would identify existing road user safety issues and propose interventions which would target these issues with a view to reduce the number of and severity of road accidents on the A690 corridor from Crook to Nevilles Cross.

A total of five targeted interventions along the 14.9km stretch of highway on A690 between Crook and Nevilles Cross will be installed to ensure the safety of all users including pedestrians and cyclists.

The projects were identified using road safety software which considers multiple factors including road speeds, traffic volume, historic accident data and road conditions. 

The proposed interventions are expected to prevent 26.29 fatal and serious injuries over the 20 year appraisal period which is a 24.3% reduction as well as preventing 24.8 and 146.5 serious and slight accidents respectively.

The improvement works will include:

• The creation of a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians between Holy Well Lane in Crook and Red House Gardens in Willington.
• The improvement of edge of the carriageway road markings between Willington and Brancepeth to make drivers more aware when they are nearing the kerbside at night and in poor weather.
• The introduction of traffic lights at the junction of the A690 and St John's Road in Meadowfield, including a green phase for pedestrians.
• Improved pedestrian environment on Langley Moor High Street.
• Some localised road surface improvements along the route.

We will be undertaking further studies and community engagement exercises to develop detailed designs for the schemes.