Newcastle - Options

[Ruperts Trooper]

Well I agree it could be an improvement but I doubt the capacity of three narrow lanes is anything like as good as that of three full-width lanes.

That's true, but experience on the sections that have already been widened this way suggests that it very definitely has greater capacity than two ordinary lanes.

The three-lane schemes on the Western Bypass are being done on a shoestring, no doubt about it, but they do at least work. It sort of fits, I suppose, that Highways England are reluctant to spend big money on improving a trunk road when it would mostly benefit local traffic.

From a drivers' point of view, an issue with the narrow lanes is the restriction for lane 3 to 2m width at the same time as lane 1 is a lane drop for the next junction - this forces all vehicles over 2m into lane 2, ie all the HGV and other wider outfits.

[Mark Hewitt]

The Western Bypass runs better than previously since the work completed last year (or the year before?). But it desperately needs completing with the Birtley to Coal House widening. Southbound the lane drop at Coal House roundabout is the issue pinchpoint, whereas northbound the problem is more the weaving across multiple lane gains and drops between Chester-le-Street and the Team Valley.

I think that if that project can be pushed on and if it can be done well then it will remain a busy road but hopefully one which generally flows.

That's true. Going South especially it's much better than it was. Before the works coming back from the North it wasn't unusual to get stuck for 20+ minutes, now, while you can sometimes slow down to 20-30mph, most of the time you're still moving. My wife works behind the Metrocentre and she can get home in a resonable time.

Birtley to Coalhouse very much needs doing, as the traffic there especially in the morning rush can tail back to Chester-le-Street. However without that flow restriction would it just lead to the Northbound western bypass getting overwhelmed again?

[Mark Hewitt]

Not enough is made of the Tyne Tunnel, IMO. Work is almost finished to grade seperate Silverlink and work has started on Testos. There could be a lot more pushed through in that direction, but the tolls. Much of the time when going North from Chester-le-Street we could use the A1 or A19, but £3.60 for a return trip means we use the A1 unless there's a very specific reason to use the A19.

[M19]

Another issue to factor in are the options being considered to address air quality in Central Newcastle and Gateshead, with either tolled bridges or an air quality zone. As a lot of cross-town traffic uses the Tyne Bridge, among others, this could push traffic onto the A1, cancelling out any benefits of widening this route.

[Mark Hewitt]

Another issue to factor in are the options being considered to address air quality in Central Newcastle and Gateshead, with either tolled bridges or an air quality zone. As a lot of cross-town traffic uses the Tyne Bridge, among others, this could push traffic onto the A1, cancelling out any benefits of widening this route.

Hopefully any measures will be more sensible than just a tyne bridge toll. Currently you already avoid that area due to traffic congestion, I'm not sure a toll will make a lot of difference to be fair. Plus parking charges are already a deterrent.

Tolls like that only work when there is robust and extensive public transport. With the creaking Metro fleet and 1 train every 2 hours from the likes of Chester-le-Street (which you can't get on beacuse it's full) that is not it.

[Glenn A]

The Tyne Tunnel tolls should be removed to make the A19 more attractive to long distance traffic. I always wondered when this was the A1 in the eighties why it wasn't a candidate for a second tunnel with no tolls and being upgraded to D3M from Testos to Seaton Burn. Also for all Newcastle needed a western by pass as the A69 through Scotswood was becoming unbearable and roads like Silver Lonnen were heavily congested, having an A1(M) to the east would have meant the western by pass wouldn't have been as busy.
Interesting what number the western by pass would have taken if the A1 continued using the Tyne Tunnel, I'd imagine A69 from Blaydon Bridge to the Denton Roundabout, then A696 to Newbiggin Hall.

[jabbaboy]

The Tyne Tunnel tolls should be removed to make the A19 more attractive to long distance traffic. I always wondered when this was the A1 in the eighties why it wasn't a candidate for a second tunnel with no tolls and being upgraded to D3M from Testos to Seaton Burn. Also for all Newcastle needed a western by pass as the A69 through Scotswood was becoming unbearable and roads like Silver Lonnen were heavily congested, having an A1(M) to the east would have meant the western by pass wouldn't have been as busy.
Interesting what number the western by pass would have taken if the A1 continued using the Tyne Tunnel, I'd imagine A69 from Blaydon Bridge to the Denton Roundabout, then A696 to Newbiggin Hall.

The A19 isn't particular much better than the A1 at rush hour though, too many bottlenecks and pushing more traffic down it will make it much worse. Whitemare Pool, Testos, Tyne Tunnel (Northbound), Moor Farm, Seaton Burn are all congested and except from Testo's there's nothing planned to solve any of them.

Newcastle ideally needs more bridges to cross the Tyne mainly one in the Byker / Wallsend area connecting to the Felling Bypass and one near the Metro Centre crossing towards Newcastle Business Park to try and take pressure from the Tyne, Redheugh and Blaydon Bridges which are all congested but obviously it'll never happen because of the cost to do it.

There also really needs to be a plan for getting East to West across the city centre aswell as NCC seem to do everything to try and make it as difficult as possible making 2 lane roads to single lane for pointless cycle and bus lanes etc which doesn't help.

[jackal]

I think the programmed improvements to predominantly narrow D3 are about all that can be expected in terms of lane capacity along the A1 corridor.

Future improvements should focus on the A19/A194(M)/A194, together with the A1 completing a full freeflow ring road for Newcastle and Gateshead. This would be similar to the creation of the M60, perhaps with a single number to match.

In fact you could say it would be a better candidate for renumbering as unlike the the M60 local movements dominate through routes all around the ring. Also unlike the M60 it would only require a few (admittedly big) junction improvements rather than new sections of mainline.

[Paul7755]

We can’t go back to the 60s, but it often seemed to me that the A194(M) route was aimed in the general direction of South Shields and then petered out. The signed dogleg via Testo’s roundabout towards the tunnel just seemed a bit of an afterthought.

Presumably there was never a strategic planning gap in the built up area, (like for the eventual A1 western bypass), which would have allowed for a free flow route towards the tunnel straight across at White Mare Pool, with a merge with the A19.

Also, of course, the S2 tunnel would never have coped with decent approach roads, so perhaps the roundabout route was intentional...

Paul