Two major milestones have been reached as part of works to improve road safety and reduce congestion on a busy North Tyneside road.
North Tyneside Council is investing £7.2m into the Coast Road Improvement scheme to make the road safer and improve journey times for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
The first phase of the project involved creating two eastbound traffic lanes along Beach Road to the A192 Tynemouth Pool roundabout and a new footpath and cycleway.
The second phase, which is on schedule and is due for completion in spring 2017, has seen the Billy Mill roundabout removed to be replaced with a junction with traffic signals.
The council’s partner Capita is responsible for managing the delivery of both phases of the project.
As part of the scheme, the eastbound Coast Road approach to the new junction at Billy Mill had been reduced from three lanes to two while essential work was carried out to replace and upgrade gullies on this stretch of the highway.
However, the approach has now reverted to three lanes and it is expected that traffic flows will improve significantly as a result.
And, in a further piece of good news for drivers, the traffic filter lane from Regent Terrace at the Billy Mill junction onto the A1058 Coast Road westbound has permanently reopened.
This lane, which fully re-opened to all vehicles on 13 December, will help reduce traffic congestion from Regent Terrace back towards North Shields.
Cllr John Harrison, cabinet member for Housing and Transport, said: “This is really good news for residents, motorists, pedestrians and users of public transport and we would like to thank them for their patience and understanding as this vital work to improve safety and reduce congestion on the Coast Road nears its successful conclusion.”
A fixed camera remains in operation at the southern end of Lynn Road to enforce the partial closure of the junction with Billy Mill. There is no access from Lynn Road to Billy Mill, except for buses. The purpose is to keep traffic flowing as best as possible at Billy Mill junction while the project continues. Penalty charge notices are being issued to drivers that contravene this temporary restriction.
A 30mph speed limit is also in place on all approaches to Billy Mill junction.
Regular e-bulletins are issued to provide subscribers with specific updates on progress. To subscribe, email roads@northtyneside.gov.uk and put ‘A1058’ in the subject line.
Information is also available on the council’s website (including traffic modelling videos which show future vehicle movements with - and without - the scheme). Visit www.northtyneside.gov.uk and browse to the ‘roads, parking and transport’ section.
If members of the public have any queries during the project, they can email roads@northtyneside.gov.uk or call (0191) 643 6500.
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Note to editors
• The A1058 Coast Road improvement scheme is costing £7.2 million; of this, £6.52 million has been contributed by central government as a result of a successful funding bid made by the council and its partner, Capita plc.
• The scheme seeks to address serious congestion and traffic capacity issues. The Coast Road is used by more than 45,000 vehicles every day: by 2029 this is forecast to rise to more than 51,000 vehicles a day.
• Road safety is a major concern. Over the last five years, there have been 166 collisions (including one fatality) on this arterial route – far higher than the norm for roads of this type elsewhere across the country.