Motorists Report Severe Traffic Congestion Due to New Station Construction

Motorists are reporting “gridlock” due to temporary traffic signals installed on the access route to the town’s recently built station. These three-way lights, which commenced operation on Monday on South Newsham Road in Blyth, close to Newsham Station, have resulted in extensive traffic queues. Paul Rowland, 37, stated that his usual 20-minute journey from the Northumberland town to Gateshead had become “shocking,” now requiring over an hour. Northumberland County Council issued a statement, saying: “The contractor is on site to update the timings of the lights to try and minimise disruption as much as possible.” Mr Rowland commented, “Roadworks have always been an issue in Blyth,” adding, “But this is on a different scale.” This construction is part of the Northumberland Line’s reopening project, a new transportation link designed to restore passenger rail services to the county’s south east, a service absent since the 1960s. Mr Rowland further noted that residents were pleased about the Northumberland Line’s construction, but stated, “we shouldn’t have to endure weeks of chaos.” Jen Wake, 49, a resident of Renwick Road in Blyth, characterized the traffic situation as “absolutely horrendous.” She remarked, “People are totally sick of it, I had to go to an event at my daughter’s school and arrived half an hour late, it’s just ridiculous.” She also added, “It’s taking an hour to travel two miles.” Brian Erskine, a Conservative Blyth Town councillor, concurred that the circumstances were “frustrating.” He stated, “The traffic has always been bad on Cowpen Road, now it’s even worse, and I agree more could have been done to make people aware.” Daniel Carr, the Northumberland County councillor representing South Blyth, commented that the communication regarding the works “could have been better.” He further mentioned, “I would also support allowing cars to use the Old Laverock Hall bus route on a temporary basis, although I do understand residents there might not want that.” Northumberland County Council issued a statement asserting: “The works needed for the opening of the new railway station at Newsham were notified in advance to local members, through a letter drop and in our monthly newsletter.” The council additionally stated: “In terms of the bus gate, this was introduced following concerns from local residents and we couldn’t make changes that could potentially compromise public safety.”