Revealed: Ambitious plans to improve road links with new Darlington bypass and River Tees crossing

A proposed transformation of major road networks in the Tees Valley area including developing a Darlington bypass linking the A66 to the A1(M), a new crossing over the River Tees and extra lanes added to sections of the A66.

The proposed routes of a Darlington bypass connecting the A66 to the A1(M)

Work to roll out the extensive changes – which have been revealed by the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) – is expected to begin between 2020 and 2025 and completed within three years.

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More than 667,000 residents in Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Hartlepool, will be consulted over the TVCA blueprints before designs are finalised and submitted to the Government this winter.

Project planners hope their work will be approved for Government funding as part of its long-term Road Investment Strategy worth £15bn.

Speaking at the public launch of the plans on Tuesday at Middlesbrough Football Club’s Riverside Stadium, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, said: “People have been talking about a new Tees Crossing and Darlington bypass for decades.

“A first-class road network is key to economic growth and our roads are central to helping me deliver our ambitious plan to deliver 25,000 new jobs over the next decade.

“I hope these proposals demonstrate just how determined I am to deliver a high quality, quick and safe road network for the people and business of our region.”

Junction improvements are proposed along the length of the A66 from Teesport, near Middlesbrough, to Little Burdon, on the outskirts of Darlington.

The Little Burdon roundabout to the north-east of Darlington currently connects to the A167 and acts as the main route for commuters and HGVs to access the A1(M) from Teesside.

However, a proposed Darlington Northern Link Road would cut across farmland from the existing roundabout to link it with junction 59 on the A1(M).

A new crossing over the River Tees has also been suggest to ease congestion on the A66 Surtees Bridge and the A19 Tees Viaduct, which are currently used by around 240,000 commuters.

Mayor Houchen added: “To be able to deliver these three elements, we need our business case to stack up – which I think it does very strongly – we need political backing and we need local community engagement.

“We need to not only encourage expansion in the Tees Valley area, which I think is something that we look at too narrowly sometimes to develop businesses here, but we need to ask what kind of things will attract new investors into the region.

“Infrastructure is a major factor in that, whether it be our already strong rail links or whether it be our port which is the deepest in the UK or our road networks that are good.

“But this project is ambitious to show that they can be even better.” 

Highways England partnered the TVCA to create the Connecting Tees Valley proposal that is also set to support 4,500 jobs connected to developing the transport routes.

Around 7,000 new homes are expected to be bolstered by the plans, should substantial Government funding be granted in spring 2018.

Labour’s shadow transport secretary and Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald has welcomed the proposals, but expressed the need for action.

He said: “Generally, these plans are the long-established ideas we have had on the position of the Tees Valley and that we need to make these improvements.

“It’s no good making announcements that have already been made on what has already been established.

“These are not new ideas – they’re a repetition of information and the Labour party made it abundantly clear in our manifesto that these are the improvements we would deliver.

“However, I’m delighted they’ve been reissued by the Tees Valley Combined Authority and we are at one with them on this.

“But the funding has got to come forward for it to happen, so I’m very happy to join with all of the leaders across the Tees Valley to try and progress the case.”

Leader of Darlington Borough Council and chair of the Tees Valley Transport Committee, Councillor Bill Dixon, added that the plans prove that the region’s communities can work together.

He said: “We’ve got to be ambitious. When I set off to create the combined authority with the five other leaders, it was all about ambition and I still have that.

“This is going to be an example of where we can punch above our weight and it’s about time we got our fair share of the cake.

“It’s about time we took back ownership of how traffic flows in the Tees Valley and these plans allow for that to happen.”

Darlington bypass to link A66 with A1(M)

FARMLAND has been proposed to become a new route linking directly from the A66 near Darlington to the A1(M) – bypassing two residential roads currently connecting the two major highways.

Two possible routes have been outlined to cut across land to the north-east of Darlington to reduce the number of HGVs travelling through the town to access the motorway.
Darlington’s Whinfield Road and the A167 through Coatham Mundeville currently serve as the quickest route from Tees Valley industrial sites to the A1(M).

However, under the TVCA proposals, Little Burdon roundabout would offer a bypass to motorists as a purpose-built road to avoid traffic building up in residential areas during rush hour.

A TVCA spokesman confirmed the routes are being developed and said: “The traffic has to use local roads, such as the A1150 and A167, which go through built-up residential areas and are not suitable for the types and volume of traffic travelling on them.

“This causes significant stress on the local roads in Darlington, causing conflict with local residents, cyclists and pedestrians.

“It also creates environmental concerns and raises issues of safety.

“The problems with this route have a knock-on effect, putting more pressure on other parts of the Tees Valley road network.”

Junction upgrades and extra A66 lanes

A KEY route for commuters, residents and business owners alike has been targeted to improve connections across the breadth of the Tees Valley.

The A66 serves as the main link between east and west in the region, from clusters of chemical and energy industry sites in Teesport, near Middlesbrough, to its connections with the A1(M) outside Darlington.

Under the proposals published by the TVCA, six existing junctions would be remodelled or upgraded, as well as extra lanes added along congested stretches of the route.

Little Burdon roundabout and Morton Palms roundabout, on the outskirts of Darlington, have been earmarked under the would-be programme for development, as well as the A1(M)’s junction 59 between the town and Newton Aycliffe.

Elton Interchange, near Stockton, and Cargo Fleet roundabout and Tees Dock roundabout in Middlesbrough would also be modified as part of the A66 project.

Extra lanes between Little Burdon to Morton Palms roundabouts have also been suggested, as well as new lanes near Teesside Park and its slip-road on to the A19.

A TVCA spokesman said: “The new Tees crossing proposals, in combination with the A66 improvements, will ensure that Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland are better connected via the A66.”

Crossing the River Tees with new road

TEN crossings currently bridge the River Tees along its course from Stockton and the coast.

However, an 11th route has been proposed to share the volume of traffic mainly carried over the A66 Surtees Bridge and the A19 Tees Viaduct that see more than 107,000 vehicles pass over the Tees daily.

Two routes have been suggested as part of the TVCA’s Connecting Tees Valley plan in a bid to boost road connections between industrial areas and to relieve rush hour congestion.

A TCVA spokesman said: “Any incident on the A19 or A66 causes significant congestion on the local road crossings and the local road network.

“These issues need to be resolved to achieve Tees Valley’s economic ambitions.

“Currently, around 240,000 residents work within the Tees Valley, creating substantial congestion at peak times.

“A new crossing of the River Tees will provide additional capacity for up to 72,000 vehicles per day, addressing the current issue with congestion and slow journey times and ensuring that new housing and employment sites can be brought forward.”

Fourteen route options were considered by the TVCA and Highways England ahead of two routes being proposed for a central River Tees crossing near the existing sites of the Tees Viaduct or Newport Bridge, linking Stockton and Middlesbrough.