THE first step towards building a £7m bypass was taken yesterday.
Durham County Council chairman Ernie Foster and Sonny Douthwaite, chairman of Durham County Council's highways committee, and councillor for West Auckland, led a groundbreaking ceremony for the next stage of work on the West Auckland bypass.
Once completed, the 1.5- mile stretch of single carriageway will link the first stage of the bypass, which was completed in 1998.
This will remove through traffic from people in West Auckland, St Helen Auckland and Tindale Crescent, in County Durham.
The latest work will see a diversion of the River Gaunless to allow bridge construction to go ahead at a later date.
Work was due to start last August, but was delayed after a public inquiry was called and will now begin this week.
Coun Douthwaite said: "I'm really proud to officially start the groundbreaking ceremony and start the bypass.
"We've been fighting for a long time and now it's come to fruition."
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