New bridge work means Sunderland road closure from Monday

Sunderland's road lay-out will change permanently next week, as work on the new Wear Crossing continues.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Jan 2016, 13:14 BST
Updated 26th Jan 2016, 13:19 BST
Map of the ongoing roadworks for the new Wear CrossingMap of the ongoing roadworks for the new Wear Crossing
Map of the ongoing roadworks for the new Wear Crossing

A short section of Timber Beach Road will be closed permanently from Monday.

The section of road linking the A1231 Wessington Way into Sunderland Enterprise Park is being closed as a result of the wider highway improvement scheme for the new bridge.

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The other three access points into Sunderland Enterprise Park will remain open and the current temporary traffic lights along the main section of Timber Beach Road will be removed before the closure.

Signs warning of the road closure have been placed along Wessington Way during recent weeks in order for drivers to plan a different route into the business park.

A short 250m diversion of the Coast to Coast cycling route as it runs past Sunderland Enterprise Park, taking it along Hylton Park Road, will also be put in place next month and will remain until the new bridge, between Wessington Way in Castletown and European Way in Pallion, opens.

The new crossing is the first bridge to be built over the Wear in the city for more than 40 years and is part of the wider strategic transport plan to link the Port of Sunderland and city centre to the A19 and the A1.

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Phased roadworks relating to the new bridge have already started, with the biggest impact of the traffic management measures, which include lane closures and reduced speed limits, happening along the A1231 Wessington Way.

Other roadworks along several routes in the city will get under way in the coming weeks, to allow work to begin on new approach roads for the bridge on both sides of the river.

City council leader Coun Paul Watson said: “We appreciate people may be frustrated with possible disruption and delays in the coming months, but there is no doubt that the benefits of the bridge will far outweigh any inconvenience now.

“I appeal to everyone to drive carefully and within the lower speed limits to ensure their own safety and that of other drivers and construction workers who are beside the carriageway.”

For more information, go to www.newwearcrossing.co.uk, or call 0800 223 0379


Related topics:Sunderland