Teesdale residents had to find alternative routes earlier this month after a bridge was closed for essential maintenance.
County Durham road bridge, which runs over the River Tees, was shut between Saturday 20th August and Monday 22nd August so bridge repairs could take place.
Work was carried out on the parapets as the bridge near Egglestone Abbey has endured a few knocks by vehicles in the last few months, resulting in damage.
Brian Buckley, Durham County Council’s strategic highways manager, said: “The bridge has suffered some accidental damage and it’s important that we repair and restore this historic structure. The only way we can do this is to have a couple of short-term closures with signed diversions in place.”
Residents were advised to take the alternative route via the A66, Startforth and County Bridge instead to minimise their disruptions.
The council plans on carrying out additional work to replace missing copings on the bridge in September. However, this could not be done during last weekend’s closures, as the copings were still being made.
This comes after emergency bridge repairs took place on the Blaydon Haugh Viaduct on the A1 in Newcastle last month.
A lane had to be closed between junctions 73 and 74 on the northbound carriageway as one of the bridge’s joints needed to be mended urgently.
This “complex operation”, according to Highways England project manager Mike Hoult, was only a temporary measure, and permanent repairs will be carried out on the structure by the end of the year.