Third A19 upgrade opens to boost NorthEast

National Highways has confirmed its preferred route for a new £51.6 million upgrade to the A19 has now opened to traffic, supporting the local economy and providing access to the forthcoming International Advanced Manufacturing Park that is positioned close to Nissan’s Sunderland plant.

The Downhill Lane scheme has been designed to provide extra capacity on the junctions between the A19 and A1290 in Sunderland. The milestone was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony, opening a new pedestrian, cyclist, and equestrian footbridge over the main carriageway. Along with the footbridge, the project has created a full roundabout at the junction, along with improvements to the existing A19. There are new traffic signals and a new road bridge, which should encourage drivers to stay on the major road and off the local highway network, improving the environment for those living and working in the area.

More than half-a-million people hours were spent on the project, with 60% of the workforce made up of locally based staff. Around £3 million was saved by delivering the project alongside the A19 Testo’s Junction works, with £150,000 saved by reusing stone from the site access roads at Testo’s. A further 100,000 tonnes of earth was also reused from the A19 Coast Road scheme delivered in 2019.