A £52M transport scheme seen as crucial to the economic growth of the North-East is set to take a significant step forward.

Consultants have now finished a long-awaited study which looked at upgrading the A66 trunk road around Darlington.

Parts of the bypass presently carry 20,000 vehicles a day, but that is expected to rise to up to 41,000 by 2025.

The predicted growth - and traffic chaos that could result from it - sparked fears that the town may struggle to live up to its tag as the gateway to the Tees Valley.

In May 2003, the North-East Assembly commissioned consultants WSP/Carl Bro to undertake a study of the A66 around Darlington, between Blackwell Bridge and the Great Burdon roundabout.

They have now put forward a proposed package of measures to ensure that Darlington's many new developments are not blighted by traffic congestion.

They include dualling the A66 with junctions between the A67 Yarm Road junction and to the east of the Great Burdon roundabout.

There would also be improvements at all other junctions on the A66 to the south of Darlington and a park-and-ride scheme at Morton Park.

Consultants are now seeking the views of the region's business community, as well as local people.

They will then produce a report to be considered by the assembly in March.

The assembly's Tees Valley Gateway Study project manager, Colin Blackburn, said: "Whatever the assembly decides in March will then be submitted to the Government for funding.

"The study has taken about 18 months and has gone into great detail, and this is the lowest-cost solution."

Mr Blackburn said that although public transport schemes were considered as part of the study, it was felt that they would have little impact on reducing congestion.

Darlington's position as the gateway to the Tees Valley has been enhanced in recent years by developments at Morton Palms and Haughton Road.

Thousands of jobs will also be created when the £170m Central Park scheme, close to the town centre, gets under way.