A stretch of road, which it is hoped will help to create hundreds of jobs, will be opened officially in a former steel town this week.

The 650m-long road crosses the former steelworks site at Consett and completes the southern bypass in the town.

The £780,000 project, which began in February, was jointly funded by Durham County Council, Derwentside District Council and the European Regional Development Fund.

It is part of the multi-million pound Genesis industrial development project built on the former steelworks site, which was designed to attract new business to the town.

It will link Genesis Way and Park Road, to connect the Genesis site to Park Road Industrial Estate, and a housing development already under construction.

A combined footpath and cycleway has also been provided. The work was carried out by the county council's construction department, Service Direct.

County council leader Don Robson will officially open the new road on Friday with Local Government Minister and North West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong.

He said: "As well as an important part of the Genesis Project that is helping to create new properity for the town, the new road will greatly benefit everyone who uses Consett town centre.

"The volume of heavy traffic will be significantly reduced, making it a cleaner, healthier and more people-friendly place to work and visit."

Helping Ms Armstrong and Councillor Robson to do the honours will be 11-year-olds Joanne Carlyle and Andrew Cox, from St Mary's Primary School in Blackhill, whose fathers were employed at the steelworks. The children will help to unveil a commemorative plaque set on a plinth and cut a ribbon to mark the completion of the scheme.

An existing T-junction with Park Road has been changed to a mini-roundabout to accommodate altered traffic flows. Work was completed on schedule despite workers having to deal with two 200-tonne rail-mounted ore trucks from the steelworks, which were left on the line of the new road.

Local company Larzep Hydraulics helped move the trucks away from the route, saving time and expense.

The opening ceremony starts at 3.15pm.