Drivers, pedestrians and other road users in Meadowfield are set to benefit from completed improvements at St John’s Road Junction, where Durham County Council says new safety measures have been installed as part of a £2.94 million investment programme.

The scheme is designed to ease traffic at the junction and improve safety for people travelling between Meadowfield and Meadowfield Industrial Estate. The completed works include new signals to help vehicles turning right from the junction onto the A690a, alongside new crossing facilities.

The crossings are intended to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair and scooter users. They also provide a safer connection for people travelling to and from the industrial estate.

What has changed at St John’s Road Junction

  • New traffic signals have been installed to ease right turns onto the A690a.
  • New crossing facilities have been added for pedestrians, cyclists and users of wheelchairs and scooters.
  • The improvements are intended to support safer and more accessible journeys to and from Meadowfield Industrial Estate.

The work forms part of a wider investment along the A690 corridor between Crook and Neville’s Cross. Durham County Council received £2.94 million from the Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund to support the programme.

Some elements were coordinated with the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, or BSIP. Where the junction project overlapped with plans for Annand House and the Meadowfield Leisure Park and Ride facility, that work was funded through the BSIP.

Council response

Cllr Tim McGuinness, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for rural, farming and transport, said the completed work would improve safety for residents crossing at the junction, as well as connectivity and sustainable travel options.

“We’re pleased to announce that these works are now complete, improving safety for residents crossing at the junction. They will also offer better connectivity, and support more sustainable travel choices, helping communities and businesses feel more connected.
“These improvements are just one of a range of upgrades to the A690 that we have undertaken over the last year, and we’d like to thank residents for their patience while works have been carried out.”

The latest project is therefore being presented as one part of a broader series of A690 improvements completed over the past year, rather than as a standalone change to the Meadowfield junction.