A 16-mile diversion has been put in place due to an emergency road closure on the A689, past Alston.
It comes after a huge sinkhole opened up in the road at Wearhead, in the North Pennines.
It affects those travelling on the A689 past Alston and Nenthead - including tourists travelling to the designated Area of Outstanding natural Beauty.
The road will be closed on safety grounds for the foreseeable future.
Durham County Council said: "The A689 at Wearhead has been closed, due to the collapse of the carriageway.
"A diversion route will pick up traffic heading west at Stanhope and divert traffic on the B6278 from Stanhope to Middleton-in-Teesdale and then onto the B6277 back to Alston.
"Heading east the diversion will follow the opposite route from Alston towards Middleton-in-Teesdale back to Stanhope."
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