Yahoo News A189 Spine Road set to be closed for 34 hours at Blyth as part of Northumberland Line work
Residents in Blyth are being warned of a series of closures on a major route next week amid ongoing work on the Northumberland Line project.
The A189 will need to be closed from 8pm on July 12 until 6am on July 13 and again from 8pm on August 3 until 6am on August 5, in order to install the new cycle and footbridge over the road. The new bridge will provide pedestrian access to the station at Blyth Bebside, which is due to open next year.
The A189 will be filly closed between the Three Horse Shoes and the Kitty Brewster Roundabouts to carry out preparatory work on July 12. The same stretch will be closed in August to assemble the bridge and crane it into place.
Furthermore, the entry slip lane on the Three Horseshoes roundabout will be closed from 7pm on August 3 - an hour ahead of the full closure. This will allow waiting wagons to park up.
The Three Horseshoes roundabout will also be reduced to one lane, with traffic lights stopping vehicles for up to 10 minutes from 9pm to allow the crane to get into position. In a letter to residents, officials say "some disruption is unavoidable" but that "various measures" are being undertaken to keep people informed.
The letter also states that construction works on the station are "progressing well". In addition, track and signalling upgrades are almost ready for use, and driver training for the new service is due to "commence soon".
Coun Wojciech Ploszaj, the ward councillor for Kitty Brewster, said: "While inconvenient, it is extremely important to have this footbridge in place to allow people to safely cross the Spine Road and reach the new station."
The Northumberland Line project will bring passenger rail back to South East Northumberland for the first time since the 1960s. Three stations are set to open this summer - Ashington, Newsham, and Seaton Delaval - although no date has yet been set.
The other stations at Bedlington, Bebside and Northumberland Park will open next year after suffering delays. Last month, the deputy leader of Northumberland County Council Coun Richard Wearmouth said that the line could be extended further to towns such as Newbiggin by-the-Sea in the future.
