A £1.5million scheme to improve a busy road in Benton begins next week.
Work will get underway during the week commencing Monday, March 28, to enhance the A191 Whitley Road and Front Street.
The project, which is funded by the Local Enterprise Partnership, will be delivered for North Tyneside Council by its partner Capita and is due for completion this summer.
The A191 is a busy route, used by around 16,000 vehicles each day. During the peak morning period, westbound motorists can experience delays of up to eight minutes. By 2030, the number of vehicles on the A191 is expected to have increased by up to 30 per cent, adding to existing delays.
The improvement scheme includes:
- Turning the A191’s separate junctions with Tyneview Park and Station Road into a combined junction.
- Creating two westbound lanes on the A191, from Tyneview Park to Coach Lane, by making better use of the existing road space.
- Linking traffic signals from the Four Lane Ends to Tyneview Park junctions, improving traffic flows.
- Providing enhanced pedestrian crossing facilities.
Cllr John Harrison, cabinet member for Housing and Transport, said: “Motorists who use this route will be aware of the delays they can encounter during the morning rush hour.
“This project will improve journey times and make it easier for pedestrians to safely cross the road in the area of Tyneview Park and Station Road.
“We recognise the impact that road improvement schemes can have but are committed to keeping disruption to a minimum. We have set up a dedicated newsletter to keep people up to date with progress and would encourage anyone who wants to know more about the scheme to sign up to it.”
Initial work will be at the entrance to Tyneview Park and will require the narrowing of the westbound left-turn filter lane although access will still be available as normal. It is likely there will be minor diversions for pedestrians on Whitley Road in this area as well as for those accessing Tyneview Park. Changes to pedestrian routes will be signposted.
There will also be an off-peak lane restriction (9.30am to 3.30pm) eastbound on the A191 Whitley Road between the Carlton Road and Station Road junctions. This is to enable the installation of cables for the new traffic signals.
If you have any queries during the project, please email: roads@northtyneside.gov.uk or Tel: (0191) 643 6500.
To subscribe to a regular e-bulletin about the project, email roads@northtyneside.gov.uk and put ‘A191’ in the subject heading of the email.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Capita Local Government, part of Capita plc, is dedicated to delivering outsourcing and professional services to the local government market and responsible for operating all of Capita's major local government and education partnerships. Employing over 8,000 people, Capita Local Government delivers a wide range of specialist services, including customer management, property development and regulatory services, educational transformation and support services and back office processing. Capita Local Government can also draw on specialist capabilities, such as ICT, HR and payroll from across the wider Capita group, to ensure the very best market knowledge and outcomes are achieved for customers.
In November 2012 the company entered into a partnership with North Tyneside Council to deliver a range of technical services: engineering; property; planning; building control and public protection.