Council confirm major road won’t be closed for 16 months
Northumberland County Council[1] has been forced to clarify that it will not be closing a major route in and out of Blyth[2] for 16 months.
Concerns were raised by local residents after a temporary traffic regulation order relating to Laverock Hall Road in Blyth[3] was published, with fears the road would be closed for the entire period of the order.
The council has stressed there are no plans for a closure between September 2023 and December 2024 - instead, smaller works will be carried out throughout that time period.
Coun Jeff Reid, who represents the town's Plessey ward, explained that there had been a misunderstanding in the town.
He said: "You have got some people who don't understand - some people saw that and thought it was going to be the whole road for the whole time. When people read that notice, they thought there was going to be no way out of Blyth.
"We get these things sent to us all the time so we're used to the language, but some people who might only get it once or twice a year or not read it all the time don't understand that basically when you do anything on a road you have got to have permission.
"They will probably do one job for a couple of days, one for a week. They give themselves plenty of leeway and plenty of slack, so we don't have to keep getting permission."
The council has said that over the coming months, work will be taking place in the area to create a new road layout for the forthcoming Northumberland[5] Line, as well as survey work for the proposed Blyth Relief Road.
Councillor John Riddle, Cabinet Member for Improving Our Roads and Highways, explained: “We want to reassure people who may have seen our Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) and may be worried about what’s planned.
“Legally there can only ever be one TTRO on a road at any one time and so if various works are happening during a given period of time on the same road then they must all be included in the same order. While the overall dates for this order are from September 2023 to December 2024 we must stress that there will not be a continuous closure throughout the 16 months.
"This is simply the period for which the order is legally valid and various works will take place during that time.
“Discussions about the exact traffic management for the work are currently ongoing, including whether some elements of the work on South Newsham Road can best be achieved through the use of temporary traffic lights or through the use of a one way system. Given the sensitive location of the works, the focus of these discussions is very much on how the disruption to traffic can be minimised while the necessary works are carried out safely. "
The authority has said further details about the proposed traffic management system and its duration will be held once further discussions have been held with utility companies and contractors.
References
- ^ Northumberland County Council (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Blyth (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Blyth (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Murder investigation launched as man dies in hospital days after being attacked in Northumberland (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Northumberland (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)