A 60ft glass and steel sign condemned as an eyesore when first erected has now been illuminated.
It stands on the A689 on the Sedgefield to Wynyard dual carriageway and has the words County Durham down its length.
The sculpture cost £60,000 which was met jointly by Balfour Beatty, the scheme's dual carriageway contractors, and Durham County Council with savings made from the highway project.
The tower has been designed by artist Peter Fink to appear as if it is changing colour.
When the statue was first erected in June, the Mayor of Sedegfield, Councillor Jim Wayman, branded it an eyesore and said the money could have been better spent installing a roundabout or traffic lights at the junction into Sedgefield.
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