Roadworks to hold up commuters for months

Jan 13 2009 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

TRAFFIC was brought to a standstill yesterday as bridge repairs caused traffic chaos on one of Tyneside’s busiest roads.

The northbound carriageway of the A184 Askew Road in Gateshead was gridlocked between the A1 and the Redheugh Bridge.

One lane of the dual carriageway was closed in both directions, causing tailbacks that stretched as far as the A1.

Thousands of commuters were late for work yesterday, and with work due to last until May, drivers are warned to find alternative routes.

Sparking the closures were the repairs on the flyover section of the A184 which carries the road over the East Coast Main Line.

Traffic will be further delayed following the closure of the southbound flyover from the Redheugh Bridge and the diversion of traffic on to the roundabout at the south end of the bridge. But the flyover from the A184 on to the Redheugh Bridge into Newcastle remains open.

The first day of the closures caught many drivers on the hop.

Nicola Richardson, from Durham, was almost 30 minutes late to work in Newcastle.

She said: “As soon as I left the A1 on to Askew Road it was jammed all the way and took 25 minutes to get into Newcastle.

“The worst spot was where the traffic came off the Teams sliproad on to Askew Road, it was a bottleneck with three lanes competing for space.

“It usually takes an hour to get to Newcastle from Durham, I’m going to have to set off half an hour earlier.”

Council chiefs are urging motorists to find alternative routes or use public transport and the Metro service.

Nick Clennett, head of transport and highways for Gateshead Council, said: “This is crucial maintenance work. The A184 bridge over the East Coast Main Line carries a huge amount of traffic, so it is essential that it is in the best possible condition.

“Unfortunately, time and the sheer weight of traffic have taken their toll, and repairs are now urgently required.

“It is impossible to carry out this work without lane closures, as we have to dig out and remove the entire roadway so we can get to the actual structure of the bridge.”

The council says it has deliberately left the start of work until after the winter sales to cause delays to as few people as possible.

“But I’m afraid we can’t get away from it – there is so much traffic using this road that any lane closure is bound to cause long delays at peak periods,” added Mr Clennett.

“We are therefore urging motorists to look for alternative routes now, or to use public transport where available, in order to avoid the inevitable delays.”