£10m city roadworks finally get under way
CRITICS TELL COUNCIL TO GET A MOVE ON AFTER HUGE DELAYS
A £10 million city centre road shake-up is finally under way – two years after it was announced.
The revamp plans, dubbed the biggest shake-up on Newcastle’s roads since the Central Motorway, were unveiled in October 2015 with work due to start in the autumn of last year.
Barras Bridge, St Mary’s Place, Percy Street, Great North Road, Claremont Road and Queen Victoria Road will all be affected by the work.
Proposals include improved pedestrian crossings and wider footpaths, with the introduction of bus and cycle lanes and a remotely-controlled traffic system to manage congestion.
The plans were part of a wider £60m Re-Newcastle scheme which included several other projects across the city.
This includes the ongoing work at Killingworth Road in South Gosforth and £1m improvements to the Kingston Park Road and Fawdon Lane junction.
The council agreed with retailers to delay any changes until after the Christmas period in 2016, and work on gas mains on Percy Street and Barras Bridge started in late February.
And according to pre-election rules, the council was not allowed to announce and launch any major schemes prior to the General Election.
Now, preparations have finally started ahead of work getting under way this year.
But the timescale has drawn criticism from Peer Group, owners of the Eldon Garden Shopping Centre, which believes delays could be damaging the city’s economy.
Group managing director Howard Dawson has also called for the re-introduction of a right-hand turn from Percy Street into the centre’s car park which was removed in 2002.
He added: “We believe the council should make good on their promise to improve the city centre’s local road networks.
“We have been campaigning for over 10 years to get the road layout reinstated as it has had a hugely negative impact on our shopping centre and the businesses within it.
“The council should stop making excuses and get on with this muchneeded scheme.
“Their lack of action is having a damaging effect on livelihoods and employment within the city centre.”
Original plans indicated St Mary’s Place, Queen Victoria Road and Percy Street would all see restricted access for cars introduced, and the Great North Road could see speed limits lowered from 40mph to 30mph where it meets Claremont Road.
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “We are finalising some key elements to the city centre plans and once these details have been confirmed we will be speaking to business partners and releasing more information to the wider public soon.
“When we’re making significant changes to roads, we try to ensure that all major utility providers do any work they need to do in the area in advance.
“We are now beginning further preparatory work to enable the traffic signals on Percy Street and in the surrounding area to be upgraded to more modern technology as part of the improvements.
“By doing this work first, we’ll reduce the time it will take to deliver the changes on Percy Street and Barras Bridge, which is crucial given this street serves the city’s two main bus stations, two public car parks, click and collect facilities and loading facilities for many businesses.”