A £3m programme to deliver improvements on a busy County Durham road is to continue, with preparatory work taking place ahead of the installation of new traffic lights.

Durham County Council secured £2.94m in funding from the Department for Transport to make improvements along the A690 between Neville’s Cross, just outside Durham City, and Crook.

The programme is delivering new traffic lights, a pop-up Park and Ride facility, bus shelters and a pedestrian crossing. It also involves improvements to a shared walking and cycling path, and road and footpath surfaces; as well as painting of road markings.

Preparatory work is now set to begin in and around the A690’s junction with St John’s Road at Meadowfield, where the new traffic lights and pop-up Park and Ride will be located.

The preparatory work will begin with the removal of a small number of trees that are not subject to preservation orders. The council will be planting new trees in due course to replace those to be felled, with more trees to be planted than will be removed. The felling work will take place this week (week commencing Monday 19 January) at off-peak times and will last three days. A short section of footpath will be closed briefly during this work, with diversion signs in place.

From Monday 2 February, the preparatory works will continue with the start of utility works. These will run for up to four months with traffic management in place, and signs to make motorists aware. Drivers are encouraged to take different routes and to travel at different times, if possible, once these works commence.

Cllr Tim McGuinness, the council’s Cabinet member for rural, farming and transport, said: “We’re really pleased to be continuing this programme that will deliver nearly £3m worth of improvements along the busy A690 between Crook and Neville’s Cross.

“Inevitably, with any work to the highway network, there will be a level of disruption to the public, but we will seek to minimise this wherever possible.

“We would like to thank people in advance for their patience and understanding while we carry out these important works, that will bring about long-term benefits for local residents and businesses, the travelling public and pedestrians.”

The new traffic lights will make it easier to turn onto and off St John’s Road and also improve pedestrian access to Meadowfield Industrial Estate and Leisure Centre.

The pop-up Park and Ride is to be created in Meadowfield Leisure Centre car park, with free parking and a bus service to Durham City. The facility aims to cut city centre congestion and reduce pollution.

The works in this area will also include resurfacing footpaths and replacing bus shelters.

Once the utility works are complete, construction will begin in May and is currently scheduled to be complete by September. There will be a need for temporary traffic lights at the junction during the construction phase.

Access to the industrial estate and leisure centre will still be possible throughout both the utility and construction phases.

The council has already completed elements of the £2.94m programme. New road markings have been added between Brancepeth and Willington and resurfacing has been carried out at Meadowfield.

Also on the way as part of the programme are improvements to the shared walking and cycling path between East View at Helmington Row and Carville Terrace at Willington. This will involve widening, vegetation clearance and resurfacing.

A new traffic light-controlled pedestrian crossing will also be introduced on Church Street, Crook, near to Dawson Street, replacing the existing pedestrian island.