New photos show progress on A19 work at Testo’s Roundabout

Construction started earlier this year on plans for a flyover across the junction, meaning traffic heading north or south down the motorway won’t have to stop and give way at the roundabout’s traffic lights, as they currently do.

In aerial photographs provided by Highways England, progress can be seen on slip roads which are intended to improve access to the A184 Newcastle Road.

The £125million project is expected to take two years to complete and it is hoped it will cut journey times and tackle congestion.

It is also intended to provide better access to the Nissan car plant and planned International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP).

“This year we’ve been trying to build the new slip roads, taking traffic away from the main A19 to build the flyover itself,” Stuart Culley, community engagement manager at Highways England, told Monday’s (September 2) Hebburn Community Area Forum (CAF).

“On the roundabout itself you can see where we’re starting to put foundations in place for the piling, drilling into the ground and backfilling with concrete and which will provide foundations for the flyover.”

July saw the installation of cameras to monitor vehicle speeds around the works, as well as the general safety of driving on the motorway, after limits slashed to 40 mph and 50 mph around the major junction.

Bosses on the project have insisted the cameras, which run 24/7, are for the safety of all drivers, not just the scheme’s workforce.