City centre road improvements to get underway

Construction work on a new road scheme aimed at improving access to Sunderland's revamped train station is set to start today (3 Nov).

The paving of a new road where the former Peacocks store once stood on Blandford Street will connect Maritime Street and Brougham Street, creating a new one-way gyratory road system.

City chiefs believe the new system - once complete - will 'massively improve' the road network around the redeveloped train station, Blandford Street and the new Multi-Storey Car Park which is under construction on the former Sinatra's site.

The aim of the project is to create a bus priority route along Holmeside and through to Vine Place, which will be achieved by creating a one-way system turning road traffic from Holmeside into Maritime Street and down Brougham Street, before going past the train station at Waterloo Street and filtering back onto Holmeside.

Waterloo Street and Athenaeum Street to the south of the station will remain one way and will filter into the gyratory system, providing improved access to not only the station, but also surrounding businesses on and around Blandford Street.

Overall, the scheme is expected to improve bus connectivity and journey times, provide improved pedestrian connectivity and public realm and reduce congestion while improving road safety.

Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "The road improvements being made in Holmeside will play a critical role in the redevelopment and expansion of the city's railway station.

"By building a new Multi Story Car Park in Holmeside and making it easier for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport operators to access the station, it will naturally lead to a lot less congestion in the heart of the city centre and safer roads.

"Not only that, but by improving the public realm around these areas and introducing new walkways, it will help facilitate the movement of more pedestrians from Park Lane down to the area surrounding the station, providing a huge increase in footfall for our city centre businesses.

"We're also working to ensure disruption to businesses in the area is kept at an absolute minimum during the period of works, especially with the busiest retail period of the year just around the corner, so it'll be a real win-win for all."

The funding for the multi-million pound improvements has been provided by Sunderland City Council, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Transforming Cities Fund.

The new car park in Holmeside has also been part-funded by the Government's Transforming Cities Fund (TCF), to support extra parking provision to support Sunderland's new train station, which is currently under construction. The overall TCF package for Sunderland Station improvements and associated works is £16.3m.

Cllr Miller added: "We're committed to making Sunderland a better, greener place to live, work and visit, and developments like this will be key to helping us achieve that.

"Taking into account the wider developments currently underway across the city, there is currently over £2.5billion being spent on road improvements, office and industrial spaces that will create thousands of jobs and over 15,000 new homes over the next decade.

"And while this may seem like a relatively small piece of the puzzle, it will be a key enabler to bringing more people to the city, improving access to businesses and creating a more vibrant city centre for all."