Chaos could be avoided

A recent report in the Echo revealed that the cost of Phase Three of the Sunderland New Bridge and Strategic Corridor (SSTC) was awarded a budget of £60million by the Department of Transport.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Jan 2017, 09:50 BST
Updated 11th Jan 2017, 09:51 BST

The huge sum of the taxpayer’s money is planned to create a detour to go from Woodbine Terrace, under the Queen Alexandra to Deptford Terrace. Then from Deptford Terrace via Hanover Place to reconnect with New Pallion Road at Beach Street.

Will drivers choose to use the long detour?

To plan to combine all the volumes of traffic from the docks and the south radial route via Silksworth Row (already highly congested) roundabouts with all the traffic at the St Michael’s Way does not make sense.

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An alternative route is a direct route for the SSTC, (for which the topography is favourable), is from Beach Street junction with New Pallion to the north-eastern perimeter of the Vaux site.

The old foot bridge overt the ravine can easily be replaced by a road bridge. Then the way was, and still is, clear for the SSTC to pass over Farringdon Row, directly to the Beach Street junction with New Pallion Road, without disrupting normal traffic during the alterations required.

This option, for a sensible SSTC, has been ready and waiting for the past 17 years.

The realignment of St Mary’s Way is a major planning blunder. Only our Conservative councillors admit it. “They (the planners) have split the city,” they say.

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Almost all the traffic chaos in the city centre, which has occurred since 1999, could have been avoided if the original ARC plan to the SSTC along the north side perimeter of the Vaux site had been adhered to.

Ron McQuilan