Section of Sunderland road to be closed as bridge preparation work continues

Part of Timber Beach Road, between DW Fitness and Wessington Dental, is to be closed to vehicles next Saturday and Sunday for final surfacing works.

A 350m section will not be open to traffic, although pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained at all times.

Cyclists will have to dismount as they travel through the roadworks area.

The leader of Sunderland City Council, Coun Harry Trueman, said: “I would like to thank the businesses and their employees and customers on the enterprise park who have shown great patience and understanding during a variety of essential roadworks on the north side of the river during the construction of Northern Spire.

“I appreciate this weekend’s closure will bring inconvenience to some, but it is one of the final series of works that is required to complete the new road, which runs under the new bridge.

“We are very close to seeing the impressive Northern Spire open to traffic, which I know we are all looking forward to.

"We are on track to see it open later in the spring.”

The section of road will close at 7am next Saturday, and is due to be open in time for peak time traffic early on Monday, March 26.

As well as the final road surfacing, white-lining and pavements will be completed.

Traffic will be diverted via the A1231 Wessington Way, and plans are being put in place to maintain bus access through the enterprise park.

During the closure, bus services 8 and 36 will serve Colima Avenue, then divert via the A1231 to the Queen Alexandra Bridge gyratory and onwards along their normal routes.

Temporary traffic lights will be in operation on the route for a further two weeks with the work is completed.

If poor weather prevents the closure from taking place, the work will be rescheduled for April.

Northern Spire is the first bridge to be built across the River Wear in the city for 40 years.

It is phase two of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor, which is a five-phase road enhancement scheme to improve links between the A19 and Sunderland City Centre and the Port of Sunderland.

Phase one, the city centre St Mary’s scheme, is already complete, and phase three, joining the bridge to the city centre, has received planning permission and will get underway early next year.

The Northern Spire will link Castletown with Pallion and will enable land along the south side of the river to be regenerated.