Central motorway upgrade set to finish months early
Newcastle CouncilMajor road repairs in Newcastle could finish months ahead of schedule.
The £9m renovation works on the Central Motorway began exactly a year ago and have led to major disruption on one of north-east England's busiest routes, with traffic reduced down to one lane in each direction.
It was originally thought the concrete repairs and joint replacements on the A167(M) viaduct would take up to 18 months, scheduled to finish in early 2027.
But Newcastle City Council now says the project should be mostly complete by the end of October.
Traffic restrictions will start being removed from the Central Motorway's northbound upper carriageway and southbound lower carriageway in the coming weeks, returning those stretches to full capacity and easing the burden on Tyneside's central road network.
Newcastle CouncilThe works have coincided with the ongoing restoration of the Tyne Bridge and the closure and subsequent demolition of the Gateshead Flyover, both of which were already causing congestion.
While the condition of the Central Motorway viaduct was deemed not to be as serious as the structural concerns which forced the flyover's closure, council bosses said that repairs needed to be made now to prevent it deteriorating further.
The maintenance on the A167(M), the first major repair project on the route since 2004, is being paid for from the same £41.4m government pot being used for the Tyne Bridge refurbishment, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
City council leader Colin Ferguson said: "This is one of the most important transport routes into and through Newcastle, carrying thousands of journeys every day.
"Investing in its future is essential if we are to keep our city moving, support local businesses and ensure our infrastructure is fit for the decades ahead."
