MOTORISTS travelling through Sunderland are being advised that from next week a short section of Timber Beach Road will be closed permanently.

Timber Beach Road, which is off the A1231 Wessington Way, is one of four access roads into Sunderland Enterprise Park on the north side of the River Wear.

The section of the road that links Wessington Way to the enterprise park is being closed from Monday, February 1 as a result of the wider highway improvement scheme for the new New Wear Crossing project.

The other three access points into Sunderland Enterprise Park will remain open and the current temporary traffic lights along the main section of Timber Beach Road will be removed before the closure.

Signs warning of the road closure have been placed along Wessington Way during recent weeks in order for drivers to plan a different route into the business park.

A short 250m diversion of the Coast to Coast cycling route as it runs past Sunderland Enterprise Park, taking it along Hylton Park Road, will also be implemented in February.

The new bridge will cross the River Wear between Wessington Way in Castletown and European Way in Pallion.

It is the first bridge to be built over the Wear in the city for more than 40 years and is part of the wider strategic transport plan to link the Port of Sunderland and city centre to the A19 and the A1.

Councillor Paul Watson, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “We appreciate people may be frustrated with possible disruption and delays in the coming months, but there is no doubt that the benefits of the bridge will far outweigh any inconvenience now.

For more information, go to www.newwearcrossing.co.uk, or call 0800-223-0379?