Drivers face delays as three sets of work get underway

Work at the Arches, Heworth Roundabout and Crossgate is to get started in the coming days.

Motorists are being advised to leave extra time for their journey if travelling through the Arches in South Shields.

An £8.1million scheme which aims to alleviate congestion at the bottleneck junction of the A185 and A194 begins on Monday.

The work will involve changing both the Arches and Hobson Way roundabouts into signalised junctions, and providing a new one-way link from Hobson Way to Jarrow Road.

Meanwhile, drivers heading from South Tyneside towards Newcastle are also set to be hit by disruption.

Bridge repairs are set to get underway at Heworth Roundabout, with the A184 Felling bypass to be closed to all traffic from 6am on Sunday.

There will be diversions in place throughout the day, and although the road closure is temporary, the A184 - either side of the Heworth Roundabout - will then be reduced to a single lane in each direction.

As a result of that, there are expected to be delays to traffic from Monday.

The roundabout is supported on a series of concrete bridges, which carry the road over Network Rail and Metro lines.

Structural engineers detected water seeping into the bridge structures last year, and the repair work will involve the complete removal of the road surface to allow the bridge decks to be waterproofed and a new road surface then applied.

The work is expected to take between six and seven months to complete.

The carriageway on Crossgate, opposite South Shields town hall, will be down to one lane as demolition of an adjacent building gets underway.

Motorists are being advised to use an alternative route or leave extra time for their journey.

Meanwhile, roadworks will also begin on Monday at Crossgate, opposite South Shields Town Hall.

The carriageway will be down to one lane as demolition of an adjacent building gets underway.

The former PDQ Homes office, on Charlotte Terrace, is being pulled down and the lane and footpath are being closed to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians while work is ongoing.

Pedestrian routes and crossings will be clearly marked with temporary signage.

The demolition is part of phase two of the South Shields 365 regeneration plan, and will make way for a new bus only lane to be constructed on Crossgate.

The roadworks are expected to last about three weeks.

Coun Allan West, lead member for housing and transport at South Tyneside Council, said: “We will do all we can to minimise delays, however while the works are ongoing there will be some disruption to traffic on Crossgate.

“The works have been scheduled at this time of year because it is typically quiet with no major events planned.

“We would advise people to use an alternative route or leave a little extra time for their journey. As always, we thank people for their patience.”

Following the demolition, there will be further works later in the year to widen the junction to accommodate the new bus lane.

The improvements are in preparation for the town’s new transport interchange, which will involve route changes for buses.