Delayed cycle route work to get under way

Construction work on the second phase of a walking and cycling scheme in Darlington is due to get under way after it was delayed from last year.

The latest stage involves extending the existing route on Woodland Road from the Hollyhurst Road junction to Deneside Road, near Tennis Dene, and introducing new priority crossings on side roads.

Darlington Council said it would try to keep disruption to a minimum but there would be temporary traffic lights and junction closures.

The project, part of wider plans for a continuous walking and cycling route linking West Park and Faverdale with the town centre, is expected to be completed in 2027.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the scheme had been beset by delays since wider proposals for the route were first unveiled in January 2022.

Plans initially stalled after the council failed to secure funding through the Conservative government's Levelling Up Fund in 2023, raising uncertainty over whether the scheme would proceed.

In August 2025 council officials said the second stage work would start later in the year, only for it to be delayed.

The work will now start on Monday at Dene Grove and be carried out in phases to reduce disruption.

Two-way traffic will be maintained where possible, although temporary traffic lights, junction closures and pavement diversions will be required.

Libby McCollom, the council's cabinet member for local services, said: "It will make it safer and easier for people to use more sustainable modes of transport, which will benefit not only their health but also the wider environment.

"It will also help to connect our communities by giving one safe, accessible route from West Park to the town centre."

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