COMPLETION of major roadworks has slipped back a further month.

It was originally forecast, when work began in March 2006, that the 14.3m improvements to the A66 Surtees Bridge, near Thornaby, would be finished this month.

But due to bad weather road engineers then set an anticipated completion date of October.

It has now emerged that there is no chance of the road works being finished before November.

Re-surfacing of the new road deck should be completed next week "weather permitting'' a spokesman for the Highways Agency said.

He added: "What they are hoping is by mid October to have basically two lanes running the entire length of the bridge, so it will no longer be contra-flow.

"There will then be about another month of work to the east bound carriageway. Once the traffic is running on the carriageway, towards Middlesbrough, they can start work on the opposite side and build a cycle way and footpath and finish off some of the barrier works.'' Work on the slip roads linking the A66 at Surtees Bridge with the South Stockton Link Road should also be completed and the entire scheme fully opened in November.

The bridge, which carries 55,000 vehicles a day over the River Tees, near Thornaby, had to be replaced after it was found the existing span no longer met engineering standards required to take the latest 40-tonne heavy goods lorries.

Studies also showed problems with the old concrete bridge supports below the water line and with ground conditions on the east embankment.

When work began to widen the road into three lanes each way, the forecast was work would last 19 months and a 30mph speed was put in place.