VolkerStevin appointed by Newcastle City Council to deliver major upgrade work to Central Motorway
VolkerStevin has been appointed by Newcastle City Council, through the NEPO framework, to deliver major upgrade work on the A167 (M) Central Motorway. Upgrades are set to get underway this August.
A £9m programme of improvements – the first major works on the route in over 20 years – will begin on the A167(M) Central Motorway and will last for up to 18 months.
The works will focus on the 1970’s concrete elevated viaduct, which runs from the Great North Road to the New Bridge Street roundabout in Newcastle.
As with all highways infrastructure in the city, maintenance and inspections are routinely carried out but this will be the first major maintenance to this route since 2004 and will primarily include joint replacement to the top of the deck and concrete repairs to the underside of the deck and its supporting structure.
The works are needed to future-proof the structure on one of the key parts of the city’s transport infrastructure which is used by up to 80,000 vehicles a day.
In order to carry out the works safely, a series of traffic management restrictions, including lane closures and full road daytime and overnight closures will be required for the next 18 months.
Cllr Juna Sathian, cabinet member for transport and climate at Newcastle City Council, said: “These are vital works to one of the key routes in our city. It is really important that these works take place to ensure we have robust infrastructure in Newcastle, to help keep the city moving.
“It is over 20 years since the last maintenance on this route and we have campaigned hard and loud to secure the funding for this key part of Newcastle’s infrastructure, which is also part of a £41.4m package which included the Tyne Bridge. With the Tyne Bridge’s restoration well underway, it is important that we start this work at the earliest opportunity.
“We’ve worked hard to minimise disruption to the travelling public, but due to the viaduct’s location and the number of slip roads that feed into it, it will be highly disruptive later in the year. We are giving people early warning and will be setting out travel advice so people can plan ahead, allow more time for their journeys and make the switch to public transport where possible.
“We know there will be other works going on in the area, including the potential demolition of the Gateshead flyover, but we need to get these works underway at the earliest opportunity, as we don’t want any further deterioration of this important part of our transport network.”
“We are delighted to have been awarded this contract by Newcastle City Council, through our position on the NEPO framework. We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues at VolkerLaser and leveraging their specialist expertise throughout the project. This opportunity allows us to further build on our legacy of delivering major infrastructure schemes in the North East.”
Jim Potter Contracts Director
Starting week commencing 11 August, the northbound carriageway will be reduced to one lane during the day, with overnight closures, including slip roads until the end of September. Then as the work progresses in the Autumn, the northbound and southbound carriageway will be reduced to one lane in each direction during the daytime, as well as full closures overnight of both carriageways and various overnight closures of key slip roads which will be highly disruptive to the travelling public.
The improvements are funded by the UK Government and Newcastle City Council.