Two of the busiest road junctions in Newcastle are set for a £20m upgrade in plans unveiled by Newcastle City Council.
The project at Haddricks Mill will see the Metro bridge over Killingworth Road replaced by Nexus, with a completely new bridge constructed over a widened carriageway.
The council plans to connect the junctions at Blue House and Haddricks Mill to improve efficiency and safety along the route. The improvements will mean road-users benefit from improved journey times, safer junctions and reduced congestion.
As part of the council’s commitment to creating better neighbourhoods, these investments will provide improvements for vehicle traffic on a set number of key routes and reduce through traffic and ‘rat running’ in residential neighbourhoods.
Cabinet member for investment and development, Cllr Ged Bell said: “These junctions are some of the most unsafe and congested in the city; our priority is to make them safer and reduce congestion for road-users, which will also enable economic growth in the city. We will be increasing the number of trees along the route, which, along with a reduction in congestion, will contribute towards improved air quality for residents and road-users.
“These junctions have been a concern for decades and, now that we have secured investment from central Government, we are finally able to improve them for current and future generations. It is important to note that the funds can only be spent on transport infrastructure and were won outside our annual budget.
“Our city’s future prosperity depends on us providing bold and ambitious solutions to infrastucture. We have modelled and tested many different variations and believe these are the best proposals to keep traffic moving for many years to come.”
The proposals for Blue House show a new signalised junction built 50m north of the current roundabout, with more lanes and intelligent traffic signals to smooth traffic flow. The council says that, by building a new junction on Town Moor land, it means they can increase capacity on the roundabout and include separate cycle lanes, bus lanes and improved pedestrian crossings in the new design.
The new proposals mean that some trees will be affected and will need to be removed. But the council plans to keep the existing tree-lined arrangement for future generations by doubling the number of trees around the junction.
On Jesmond Dene Road, the city’s oldest sets of traffic lights at the junctions with Osborne Road and Moorfield will be replaced and upgraded to modern, intelligent traffic signals. A new pedestrian crossing will be put in place across Osborne Road at the junction to enable people to cross the road safely. To improve the flow of traffic on this key corridor, right turns into Osborne
Road from Blue House and Ilford Road from Haddricks Mill will be banned with alternative routes signposted.
For Haddricks Mill, the proposals are to increase the capacity of the junction by removing the double roundabout system and building a larger priority roundabout. The proposed design includes part-time signals to help the junction cope with high levels of demand from nearby employment sites at peak times. Cycling facilities and pedestrian improvements will also be installed ensuring that people on foot and bikes have safe access across and around the junction.
The new junction will also change how motorists access Hunters Road, with a no right turn into Hunters Road from the direction of Freeman Road, Killingworth Road and Benton Road. Hunters Road will be accessed from this direction by a new road running behind Station Road, which will include parking for residents and for shops on Station Road.
The council proposes to make major changes to Killingworth Road by widening the road so it can accommodate better pedestrian pathways, cycle lanes, a bus lane and off-street parking for residents. At the same time, working in partnership with Nexus, the Metro bridge will be replaced. This will be done at the same time as Metro replace the tracks next summer.
The public and businesses are invited to have their say on the details of the proposals from Monday 25 July. A number of public events are also planned. The deadline for comments is 21 August in this first stage of consultation. Click here to have your say.
Once the first stage of consultation is completed in mid-August, the council will review the comments received and provide feedback on any changes to the designs. The council will also provide details on the next stages of formal consultation before a final decision is taken.