One week to go until Killingworth Road reopens to traffic

Newcastle City Council are advising that Killingworth Road in the north of the city will re-open to one-way traffic from 20 May.

A189 to reopen from May 20

Initially only southbound traffic (towards Newcastle city centre) will be allowed on the A189 in South Gosforth, with two-way traffic using the road from later in the summer.

The council are investing over £13.5m to address maintenance issues and widen the well-known pinch point on the network which suffered from congestion and delays on a key commuter route.

The programme of works included the installation of a new wider Metro bridge, diversion of major gas pipes, as well as the widening of the road to install a bus lane and improved facilities for those on foot and bikes.

Cabinet member for transport and air quality, Cllr Arlene Ainsley said: “We appreciate the frustrations that people have had with the extended delay to Killingworth Road and we share those frustrations.

“We have now reached a milestone during the construction period, which means we can get traffic back on this busy commuter route. Initially it will enable people on foot or on bikes to be able to get through in either direction but will be southbound only for motor traffic from this month. Two-way motor traffic will be able to get back on the road later this summer.

“Once complete, the project will have addressed a major bottle-neck and maintenance issue on our highways network and provided more sustainable travel choices to help address air quality issues in the local area.”

The council plan to open the road to traffic while construction is still ongoing. This is because there is more space on the carriageway to allow construction teams to continue to work but do so safely alongside traffic.

Started in July 2017, the project was beset with many difficulties during the gas diversion works which severely delayed the scheme. Discoveries of asbestos, issues with a main waterpipe and delays caused by the Beast from the East were all challenges faced by Northern Gas Networks during their part of the project.

Since NGN left the site in November, the council have made significant progress on the construction of the new wider carriageway which will improve public transport reliability, reduce congestion, smooth traffic flow and provide more sustainable transport options with a new cycling lane and improved walking facilities.