WORK is to start on a footbridge across a section of the busy A19 where a young pedestrian was killed.

It was almost three years ago that Sarah Jane Bell died on the southbound carriageway between the Peterlee flyover and the Old Shotton junction of the road.

The accident and the need to install a safe link between Peterlee and its industrial estates prompted plans for a £600,000 bridge.

Yesterday, the Highways Agency announced that preparation work for the structure is to begin on April 4.

The first phase of the construction will be confined to the highway and verges. Work on the bridge is due to start in May and completion due at the end of June.

Graham Littlechild, project manager for the Highways Agency, said: "We are looking to construct a single-span steel footbridge over the A19 close to the existing crossing point to the rear of the Black Bull public house at Old Shotton."

Mr Littlechild said that as a result of consultations with local people, the original designs of the bridge had been modified.

He said: "The bridge will be slightly enclosed, to increase safety, and on the eastern side the new ramps will connect to the south side of the bridge so as to keep them away from nearby properties."

He said that in addition to the bridge, the agency was also installing a 1.8 metre-high central barrier on the A19, either side of the bridge, to stop people from trying to cross the road at ground level.

Mr Littlechild said a section of the A19 will close for up to three weekends during the construction. Closures will be from midnight on Sunday to 5.30am on Monday, between Castle Eden and the B1320 Peterlee interchanges.

There will be a 50mph speed limit during the bridge construction, and for safety reasons the Shotton Lane access of the northbound A19 will be closed for the duration of the work. The Passfield Way turn-off on the southbound carriageway will be closed for six weeks