Roadworks on busy Blyth road will not result in months of closures, Northumberland County Council tells residents

The council gave notice of a series of roadworks that will take place on the A1061 over a 16-month period in order to create a new road layout and conduct survey work for the proposed Blyth Relief Road.

However, this does not mean the road will be closed for the entirety of this period and the measures included in the Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) that was issued are merely options, with the final schedule of works and traffic measures still to be decided.

Layout changes are required to accommodate the Northumberland Line project, which will restore passenger rail services to south east Northumberland.

Councillor John Riddle, the cabinet member responsible for roads, said: “These works will ultimately benefit thousands of people, from local residents in Blyth to those who travel to work or visit the town.

“However we want to reassure people who may have seen our TTRO and may be worried about what is planned.

“Legally there can only ever be one TTRO on a road at any one time so if various works are happening during a given period of time on the same road 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 traffic management for the works, including the use of temporary traffic lights and one way systems, are currently ongoing with utility companies and contractors.

Cllr Riddle added: “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.

“Also, the reference in the TTRO to a one-way system is to provide options for how the work on South Newsham Road could best be undertaken, but this could not be considered if the option of a one-way system was not included in the order.”