Three tiers of major roadworks revealed
UNDERPASS ON SHOW AFTER TEAM MAKE ‘FANTASTIC PROGRESS’
TAKE a look down into the A19 underpass at Silverlink for the first time.
A new three-tier junction is being built where two of North Tyneside’s busiest routes meet.
It will see the A1058 Coast Road on the top, a roundabout on the middle level and the A19 below.
The £75m project is on track to be finished by March next year.
This bottom level will allow drivers on the A19 to go straight through instead of stopping at the junction.
More than 80,000 cubic metres of soil had to be removed to create the trough.
It has been dug down 10m below the roundabout and 16m below the Coast Road bridge. Highways England assistant project manager, Steven Cox, said: “It’s a major milestone. It’s the first time the public can get a view of what the underpass will look like.
“They can actually see what we’ve been doing now.
“You get a really good idea of how huge this infrastructure project is.”
The Silverlink junction is used by more than 80,000 drivers daily and the new system should help speed up journey times.
Since the roadworks began in March 2016, motorists have had to get used to roadworks and speed limits.
Mr Cox said the project was now about 80% complete and explained what is left to do, with reopening the A1058 the next big step.
He said: “We’ve virtually removed all the material from the trough, there’s just a little bit of that left to go.
“We’re now cracking on with the drainage, which will create the drainage for the main scheme too.
“We’ll then be concentrating on the A1058 and looking to reopen that.
“Then, finally, in the trough itself we will be surfacing it and cladding it.”
You can see some of the 580 piles installed on each side of the underpass to support the structure.
Two new bridges have also had to be built over the trough to form part of the roundabout.
Mr Cox said the team had been able to make “fantastic progress” through the spring and summer because of the good weather.
He added: “Obviously we’ve got another winter to go through. Fingers crossed the weather will be
kind to us but we are on programme to finish in March.”
Elected Mayor for North Tyneside, Norma Redfearn, also unveiled a plaque to the Silverlink’s time capsule.
The capsule has been buried on the site with contributions from schools and businesses. It will be dug up in 100 years.
Ms Redfearn said: “When you look at this amazing feat Highways England have achieved – I know we’re not nearly finished but we’re on our way.
“First of all, they haven’t had major accidents, but remarkably as far as we are concerned they have kept the traffic flowing.
“I think it’s a major feat of engineering which we can all be proud of.
“People say we’ve had a lot of pain, but think about the gain.”