Visiting Durham City throughout the works
Durham City Centre remains open throughout the works to welcome all visitors, regular and new.
When travelling into the centre, Durham City car parks remain available, or you can use our Durham City Park and Ride service.
Diversions in place
If you normally use New Elvet Bridge to travel to Church Street and South Road areas (or any of the places listed below, or in the same location), you will be diverted through the city.
- Marriott Durham County Hotel or Hotel Indigo
- Durham Crown Court
- Durham Rugby, Durham City Cricket or Durham Rowing clubs
- some University campuses, including Maiden Castle
- Durham Crematorium
- Howlands Park and Ride.
While diversions are in place, we recommend that you plan your journey and consider using alternative routes to avoid bottlenecks through the city centre. We've produced the following maps (based on where you're travelling from).
Using these routes will help spread the extra traffic over a number of routes around the city to help avoid bottlenecks.
Diversion routes
Below are maps showing the recommended routes from the north and south, east and north west.
Travelling from the south (e.g Darlington, Newton Aycliffe)
To get to the south side of the bridge:
- Take the A1M northbound and leave at junction 60
- Take the 1st exit at the roundabout onto A689
- At the next roundabout take the A167 to Thinford
- At Thinford roundabout take the A167 towards Durham.
- At the Cock o the North roundabout take the A177 (South Road)
- Follow the A177 until you reach Durham City Centre
If you are travelling to Durham City centre from the north (eg Chester-le-Street, Newcastle, Gateshead)
To get to the north side of the bridge, travel as normal.
To get to the south side of the bridge:
- take the A1M southbound to junction 61 Bowburn
- at junction 61, take the A688 to Thinford
- at the Thinford roundabout, take the A167 towards Durham
- At the Cock o the North roundabout take the A177 (South Road)
If you are travelling to Durham City Centre from the east (Sedgefield)
To get to the south side of the bridge:
- Follow the A689 until you reach the roundabout
- At the roundabout take the A177
- At the next roundabout take the A177/Cornforth Lane
- At the roundabout take the A688 to Thinford roundabout
- At Thinford roundabout take the A167 towards Durham.
- At the Cock o the North roundabout take the A177 (South Road)
- Follow the A177 until you reach Durham City Centre
If you are travelling to Durham City Centre from the east (Peterlee)
- Take the A181 to Sherburn House
- At the roundabout take the A688 to Bowburn
- At the roundabout take the A177/Durham Road
- Follow the A177 until you reach Durham City Centre
If you are travelling to Durham City Centre from the east (Sunderland)
- Take the A690 until you reach Carrville
- At the roundabout take the A1M south to Darlington
- Stay on the A1M until Junction 61
- Take the slip road onto the roundabout
- At the roundabout take the A177/Durham Road
- Follow the A177 until you reach Durham City Centre
If you are travelling to Durham City Centre from the north west (Lanchester)
- Take the A691/Durham Road east
- At the roundabout take the A167
- At the Cock o the North roundabout take the A177 (South Road)
- Follow the A177 until you reach Durham City Centre
If you are travelling to Durham City Centre from the north west (Crook)
- Head east on the A690
- At Browney turn right onto the B6300/Browney Lane/East View
- At the roundabout take the 1st exit onto the A167
- At the Cock o the North roundabout take the A177 (South Road)
- Follow the A177 until you reach Durham City Centre
- New Elvet Bridge roadworks
- New Elvet Bridge roadworks
