Highways England has announced plans of a project to build a new £75 million triple decker roundabout to be constructed by contracting joint venture Sisk Lagan.

The structure will be part of the organisation’s A19/A1058 Coast Road junction improvement work in North Tyneside, with the plans to be published in Newcastle next weekend for the public to see.

The plan is for Sisk Lagan to lower the A19 underneath the existing A1058 Coast Road and roundabout with the aim of reducing congestion, with work set to begin in August this year.

The overall scheme will cost Highways England £75 million, with the contract for Sisk Lagan valued at £40 million.

The project is on the main route towards the Tyne Tunnel and will eradicate the queues for drivers who want to go straight on at the A19 roundabout. Instead, drivers will now use a new section of the road that will run beneath the existing junction.

Julia Alexander, Project Manager at Highways England, commented that when it is complete the scheme will reduce journey times on the A19 road by cutting congestion while making it safer in the process for the thousands of drivers that use the junction every day along with pedestrians and cyclists.

Ms Alexander said that the A19 provides vital access to the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate, South East Northumberland, the Cobalt Business Park and the Silverlink Retail Park, adding that during its construction they will do everything they can to make sure there is as little disruption as possible and that traffic stays on the move.

The public information exercise will explain to the public what disruption can be expected for local motorists and will include a display at the Village Hotel on Cobalt Business Park in Newcastle on July 1 until 8pm and on July 2 until 4pm, where Highways England and Sisk Lagan representatives will be in attendance.