Member Article

Government must do more to alleviate A1 congestion

The Government must do more to alleviate traffic on the A1 in the North East, or risk curtailing the regions’ growth potential according to the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC).

The NECC is calling for improvements to be made to the Lobley Hill/A184 junction, which has been identified as the third most congested stretch of road on the national motorway and trunk road network, and the most congested regional link in terms of delays.

NECC director of policy Ross Smith said: “It is staggering to think that in excess of 123,000 vehicles use this road every day – this is more than three times its capacity.

“Our members have, for many years, been emphatic that this stretch of road is an unnecessary cause of delay and cost. Strategic routes such as this must be top of the list when funding becomes available.”

It is estimated that the benefit to cost ratio of the project is 7:1 with the entire capital cost of roughly £70m relatively low given the positive impact it will have.

The western bypass is significant in the regional network as it is the principle link to the North East’s largest airport which serves 4.5 million people every year and contributes almost one percent (£400m) to North East GVA while supporting 8,500 jobs.

He continued: “Given the importance of Newcastle International Airport to the wider North East economy, specifically for our growing number of exporters, links to it must be prioritised to ensure that its vital role in supporting businesses, and therefore economic growth, is not further undermined.”

NECC welcomed the recent decision by the DfT to fast track preparation of the A19/A1058 Coast Road junction - another strategic route that has created costly delays for many businesses – which combined with the upgrade of the Tyne Tunnel, will make an enormous contribution to reducing traffic congestion.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .