Public meetings are being planned to update villagers on the state of progress with Whorlton Bridge.
The vital link over the River Tees has been closed to traffic since 2019 and to pedestrians since 2020.
As a consequence, residents living in homes on either side of the bridge have had to endure lengthy diversions since the closure.
Speaking to the Mercury in the summer, Durham County Council’s strategic highways manager Paul Anderson said: “We are still committed to the bridge’s restoration and our current plan is that it will be re-erected later this year, with the overall project to be complete by summer 2026.”
Work is currently taking place but residents are seeking clarity on exactly when the bridge will reopen to traffic.
With that in mind, Cllr Jill Campbell, who represents Lower Teesdale, attended the latest meeting of Whorlton and Westwick Parish Council.
The Durham County councillor said: “I’ve had questions raised about the bridge from the parish council and from residents and I thought it was time to find out what the current state of play was.
“So, I spoke to Paul Anderson in Highways who is overseeing the project to see if a presentation could take place in the village hall. I understand one was done initially and it’s time, it seems, to do another.
“He’s informed me that it’s probably good timing because he’ll be having the plans signed off, hopefully by the middle to the end of October.
“We will be able to come to you with the actual facts about where they are and how they will be putting (the bridge) back together again.
“So he is arranging with the project manager and a representative from the company that’s doing the work to come along to do perhaps a couple of presentations in one day to try and get as many people as possible to have the opportunity to ask questions and find out what their plans are, so everybody has a clear idea of when it’s going to be finished.
“We hopefully should be looking from mid-to the end of November and if people want to pass on questions he’s happy to see them in advance so he can come prepared.”
