Drivers advised of changes as part of £220m A1 upgrade in the North East
Preparations are continuing ahead of work starting in the summer
More work to prepare for the £220m upgrade of the A1 between Birtley and Coal House will take place from tonight in readiness for a main start of work later this summer.
Over the next few weeks narrower lanes and temporary safety barriers will be installed along the route of the Highways England project.
When the project is completed it will create additional capacity on the southbound carriageway to four lanes and three lanes to the northbound carriageway. This investment will ultimately create more reliable journeys, improve safety and reduce congestion along this busy four-mile stretch.
The advance works will require a number of overnight carriageway and lane closures over the coming weeks. The first closure will be tonight between 8pm and 6am when the southbound carriageway will be closed between Junction 69 (Gateshead Quays) and Junction 65 (Birtley). There will also be southbound lane closures from Junction 71 (Metro Centre) to Junction 69 (Gateshead Quays).
These same closures will be in place again from 8pm on Sunday 13 June to 6am the following morning and clearly signed diversions will be in place.
Highways England Project Manager Nicola Wilkes said:
“Over the coming weeks people will see a number of changes in the road layout as we gear up for work starting fully later this summer. Road users are advised to stay alert to changing conditions, allow extra time for their journeys and familiarise themselves with diversion routes if necessary.”
A full list of closures is available on the project webpage.
All planned closures are subject to change due to adverse weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
This project, which gained development consent by the Secretary of State for Transport in January, will provide wider beneficial economic impact for business users and freight.
The capacity increase will improve links to the Metro Centre and the Team Valley Employment Zone – the largest industrial estate in the North East and a key growth area for advanced manufacturing.
Set to be complete by 2025, the project will also see the construction of a new replacement Allerdene railway bridge, immediately south of the existing bridge, with the old Allerdene railway bridge being removed, as well as improving the Birtley, Eighton Lodge and Coal House junctions