Darlington Northern Link Road

The A66 provides critical east-west connectivity between the Tees Valley, the A19 and the A1(M).  

However, there is a missing strategic link for traffic travelling from the Tees Valley heading north on the A1(M), and vice versa for traffic travelling south on the A1(M) heading to the Tees Valley.  

This traffic is currently using the A1150 and A167 through the north of Darlington, but these routes are unsuitable for the volume and type of traffic using them. This has significantly worsened rush hour congestion on the routes around the north of Darlington – with a knock-on effect on the rest of the town.  

This project will therefore provide a new strategic link better connecting the A66 to the A1(M) to the north of Darlington.  

The intervention would provide the following benefits:  

• A better link the Tees Valley, including key assets such as the Teesside Freeport and Teesside International Airport, with the A1(M) and beyond
• A better link between Newton Aycliffe and the Teesside Freeport
• It would relieve the existing congestion problems on the A1150 and A167 routes to the north of Darlington
• It would reduce the severe impacts experienced by residents living near the A1150 and A167
• It would improve the resilience of the network, reduce journey times, improve journey time reliability and improve safety

The TVCA previously completed an Outline Business Case, which identified a preferred route alignment. However, this was several years ago, so the next more detailed, phase of work will review the optimum route alignment and consider other potential complementary measures on the A1150 and A167 to ensure the benefits are maximised.  

There will then be a need to develop the detailed design and full business case. The £250million cost estimate is based on the current route alignment, but this will be refined as the next phase of development work is progressed.