Spine Road closures required for Northumberland Line footbridge works

One lane on the northbound carriageway at Kitty Brewster will be closed between 9.30am and 3.30pm from Wednesday, April 17 until Friday, May 3. The slip road to the Kitty Brewster Asda bridge will also have one lane closed.

The southbound carriageway will be closed entirely between 8pm and 6am from Monday, April 29 until Friday, May 17. A fully signed diversion will be in place via the Bedlington Station Interchange, while the entry slip road to the Asda bridge will also have one lane closed.

The closures are in place to allow work to construct the abutments of the new footbridge crossing the A189 at Blyth Bebside to take place. An abutment is a structure which connects the deck of the bridge to the ground at either end of the bridge itself.

The footbridge will provide safe access to the new station, which is one of three that has seen its opening delayed until 2025. As well as the road closures, a 50mph speed limit will be in place past the site on the southbound A189 from the Kitty Brewster interchange towards the Three Horseshoes roundabout for the duration of the work.

In a letter to residents, the Northumberland Line’s programme delivery director apologised for the disruption.

He wrote: “I understand that working near your property and working overnight is far from ideal and I am sorry in advance for any disruption these essential works may cause. Our teams have been briefed in advance and will be mindful when carrying out this work, making sure all the relevant mitigations are in place to avoid excess noise.

“We will continue to keep you updated.”

The letter also confirmed that further disruption is likely when the footbridges themselves are installed. However, a start date for this work is yet to be decided.