1. A1
Coal House to Metro Centre
Official opening 7 July 2016
A1
Coal House to Metro Centre
Official opening 7 July 2016
2. Why was this major
improvement needed?
The A1 between Coal House and Metro Centre
is approximately 4 miles long and forms part of
the A1 Gateshead western bypass. In 2011 the
average weekday traffic flow on this section was
over 116,000 vehicles, which is more than double
its original design capacity. Therefore, very heavy
congestion occurs daily in both directions, which
affects local people commuting, shopping and
using local access routes, as well as longer
north/south trips for people using the A1.
How will the scheme
benefit the north?
The government and local partners, including
Gateshead and Newcastle councils and the
North East Local Enterprise Partnership,
recognise the importance of the A1 western
bypass to the economic aspirations of the
region. The Coal House to Metro Centre
improvement aims to:
Increase capacity
Improve journey time reliability
Reduce the number of accidents
Support local regeneration
How was the
improvement work
carried out?
We’ve invested £61 million to improve
the A1 between junction 67 at Coal
House and junction 71 at Metro Centre,
and work began in August 2014.
3. As well as widening the A1, a new 0.33 mile
parallel link road has been built next to the mainline
A1 for north and southbound traffic between Lobley
Hill and Gateshead Quays, helping local traffic
access the surrounding road network more easily.
A new footbridge has been installed at Chiltern
Gardens, replacing the old concrete bridge with
a new steel structure suitable for cyclists as well
as pedestrians. The footpath on the eastern side
of the footbridge has been upgraded to a joint
footpath and cycleway and linked to the existing
cycle network.
Overnight installation of the new footbridge at Chiltern Gardens
4. Interesting facts about the scheme
Over 300 jobs supported
78% of the project costs were spent locally
59% of the project costs were spent with small to medium size enterprises
A new footbridge installed at Chiltern Gardens,
linking to 600 metres of improved footway
and cycle track
97%
of people employed on the
scheme are from the
north east
Over 4,000
cubic metres of earth
and rock removed from existing
slopes and rock face at A184 junction. The rock
was sent to a quarry for recycling, where it was
crushed and processed for reuse on many other
building projects in the region
5. 97% of waste
materials generated
on site have been
recycled
8 miles of new lane
installed
1 mile of new parallel
link roads
150,000 square
metres of newly
re-surfaced road
Over 90 million
vehicles have
travelled through the
scheme
Delivering
government
investment in strategic
roads across the north
Highways England is delivering a huge amount of government
investment in strategic roads across the north, placing us at the
forefront of the Northern Powerhouse. In December 2014 the
government announced £2.9 billion of investment across the north
between 2015 and 2020 to support our strategic outcomes. As well
as supporting economic growth, this includes improving safety,
accessibility, environmental impacts and journey reliability.
We recognise that excellent connectivity across the north is essential
if the potential of northern growth is to be realised. We’re playing
a critical role by transforming connections between cities and
towns in the north; enabling them to increase their productivity.
We’re providing better, more free-flowing links, from the north to the
midlands, Scotland and London.
12miles
of new kerb made
from recycled plastic
bottles
7. Working in partnership
Importantly, we’re committed to working
in close partnership with Transport for the
North and other key partners to meet joint
objectives around reducing congestion,
improving access, capacity and safety.
Together, we aim to establish the north as
a global powerhouse.
We’re delivering England’s largest
road investment programme for
a generation. The northern road
network will see huge modernisation
through the construction of new link
roads, improved junctions and smarter
technology to keep traffic moving.
Through this investment people and
businesses will be better connected
both within the north and with the
rest of the country. We’ve already
started planning for the next phase
of investment beyond 2020 and we’re
committed to working closely with partner
organisations to ensure that the very best
investment decisions are made.
Jim O’Sullivan
CEO, Highways England
10. Lobley Hill to Gateshead Quays junctions: before and during construction
Looking northbound towards the A184
Looking southbound towards Lobley Hill
A1 Coal House to Metro Centre
What we’ve done
4 miles of 3 lane carriageway along one of the busiest sections of carriageway on the
strategic road network.
11. Before improvement work started
High volumes of traffic and closely spaced junctions caused queues on the main
carriageway, particularly at peak time. This affected local people commuting, shopping
and accessing local routes as well as longer north/south trips.
The average weekday flow on this section was over 116,000 vehicles, which is
more than double its design capacity. This caused heavy congestion resulting in
stationary or slow moving traffic.
In December 2012 the scheme was announced in the autumn statement and work
began on the design in April 2013.
Two public exhibitions were held as the scheme developed to keep the public
informed of progress and to give them an opportunity to speak to the project team
about any concerns they may have.
Work started in August 2014 following the award of the contract to locally based
contractor, Balfour Beatty Ltd.
A1 Coal House to Metro Centre
12. Interesting facts about the scheme
Over 300 jobs supported and 97% of people employed on the scheme are from
the north east
78% of the project costs were spent locally
59% of the project costs were spent with small to medium size enterprises
A new footbridge installed at Chiltern Gardens,
linking to 600m of improved footway
and cycle track
97% of waste materials generated on site have been recycled
8 miles of new lane installed
1 mile of new parallel link roads
150,000 square metres of newly re-surfaced road
Over 90 million vehicles have travelled through
the scheme
A1 Coal House to Metro Centre
Over
700,000 hours worked on the
scheme without a reportable
incident occurring
Over
4,000 cubic
metres of earth and
rock removed from existing slopes
and rock face at A184 junction. The rock was
sent to a quarry for recycling, where it was crushed
and processed for reuse on many other building projects
in the region
12 miles of
new kerb made from
recycled plastic bottles
13. Engagement with the local community
A1 Coal House to Metro Centre
Employment and skills
2 graduate engineers employed on
the scheme
2 summer placements from Newcastle
University
Over 300 jobs supported, filled by
local people wherever possible
Community projects/charity
fundraising
Packing hampers with the Salvation
Army for local elderly residents
Tarmacked the road leading to Tyne
United Rowing Club
Plans to resurface the masonic hall and
Dunston United football club car parks
Funds raised for Swalwell Primary
School for transport and specialist
equipment
Legacy
New and upgraded bridge and path
for pedestrians and cyclists with link
to the local cycle network
Education
Health and safety poster competition
with local primary schools
ICE bridge building sessions at
Kings Meadows school
Awards
Considerate Constructors Scheme
bronze award in April 2016
Green Apple environmental award
2016
