Link Road Faqs

DARLINGTON NORTHERN LINK ROAD FAQS

A list of potential Frequently Asked Questions associated with the scheme is provided below.

Why is the Darlington Northern Link Road (DNLR) needed?

Due to the lack of north facing slip roads at Junction 57 of the A1(M), the local roads ,A167 and A1150, are used by traffic travelling from the A66 to/from the north via the A1(M) and are the signed routes. These local roads, with traffic calming features and pedestrian refuges, are not suitable for high levels of traffic, which includes significant numbers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

The use of the A167 and A1150 by strategic traffic causes stress on the local road network in Darlington, negatively impacts residents along these routes and is considered a constraint on development across the Tees Valley.

Current issues: ■ Local roads are unsuitable for the high levels of traffic and high volumes of HGVs ■ Traffic flows on the A167/A1150 have higher proportion of HGVs than the A66 south of Darlington. Based on 2016 data there were 7.1% HGVs on the A167/A1150 compared to 4.8% HGVs on A66 south. That is approximately 1.500 HGVs per day on the A167/A1150. ■ High volume of traffic on local roads A167/A1150 negatively impacts residents on these routes. ■ The high levels of traffic using the A167/A1150 creates safety issues with pedestrians; with schools and local amenities in the vicinity. ■ Traffic congestion leads to unreliable journey times. ■ Delays in peaks periods set to increase if nothing done. By 2043, peak period delay will double.

What is the Darlington Northern Link Road?

The Darlington Northern Link Road (DNLR) is a proposed new road between the A66/A1150 Little Burdon junction and A1(M) Junction 59. It will link the Tees Valley with the A1(M) and beyond.

We propose a single carriageway road starting from an enlarged, signalised, roundabout at Little Burdon and extending north approximately 7.5km, passing to the north east of Barmpton and Brafferton, before forming a new junction arrangement with the A1(M) Junction 59.

The route is based on the ‘Route A’ preferred option announced in 2017 but has been revised in several locations in response to feedback from the public and due to technical considerations.

In 2017 a direct connection into A1 (M) Junction 59 was shown. This has now been discounted following outputs from the latest traffic modelling which showed that the traffic levels in the future will create congestion resulting in safety issues on the A1.

There are now 3 options being considered for the northern connection. All 3 options have the same proposed single carriageway alignment, developed from Route A, starting from Little Burdon and extending north before forming a new junction arrangement with the A1(M) Junction 59. Detail of the route can be viewed in the online exhibition room. What are the benefits of the Darlington Northern Link Road?

■ Improve the environment for residents along the A167/A1150 as a result of the reduced traffic volumes ■ Improve safety on the local road network ■ Improve journey time reliability ■ Reduced traffic levels and number of HGV on the A167/A1150 ■ Improve journey times for those using the new Darlington Northern Link Road and the existing A1150/A167 ■ Improve the resilience of the road network and reduce the impact of events such as roadworks and road traffic accidents ■ Provide an alternative route for all traffic and HGVs rather than using the locals roads through Darlington to join the A1(M) ■ Connect Tees Valley to the A1(M) and beyond. This will support economic growth for the region by improving access to Teesport and Teesside International Airport together with making the Tees Valley more attractive to investors and visitors. ■ Darlington Northern Link Road will provide strategic road infrastructure to support economic growth and job creation for our area.

What is the journey time saving?

The 3 options will provide around 130,000 to 250,000 hours of delay saved per year. The assessment work is ongoing and will conclude early 2021.

Is the new link road to facilitate house building in Darlington?

Darlington Borough Council are in the process of developing their Local Plan 2016-2036 that includes identifying strategic development locations as part of their growth agenda to deliver in the order of 10,000 dwellings and 6,000 new jobs.

The Darlington Local Plan housing development sites require to be able to be developed if the Darlington Northern Link Road is not built.

Why is a new link road being considered instead of changes to the existing A689 or A66 road network?

We have been developing and refining our plans since work started on the Darlington Northern Link Road scheme in 2015. This considered high level options on the A66 corridor and the A689.

In 2015/2016 a A689/A66 East West Study was commissioned by Highways England with Tees Valley Combined Authority to identify opportunities to improve links between the Tees Valley and the wider road network.

Seven locations were identified along the two road corridors (A66 and A689). The A66 was considered the most beneficial corridor; in terms of improving links to and between Tees Valley and the wider road network.

Further work funded by Tees Valley Combined Authority confirmed Darlington Northern Link Road should be progressed ahead of improvements to the existing A66.

The keys reasons for not progressing with changing the existing A66 were: ■ The A1150/A167 would still be the more desirable route between the A1(M) North and Tees Valley. ■ The existing A66 Darlington Bypass would require significant changes from the existing single carriageway and existing junction arrangements.

Why are there not changes being made to the existing A1(M) Junction 57 rather than a new link road?

A series of studies have been undertaken to develop options for East–West road improvements across the region and an option to improve connections at A1(M) Junction 57 was considered.

The work undertaken identified that there were several reasons why changes at Junction 57 has not been progressed further:

■ The introduction of north facing slips is very technically challenging and would not be practical as the A66 (M) would also require considerable alteration which would be uneconomic. ■ The existing A66 Darlington Bypass would require significant improvement from the existing single carriageway and existing junction arrangements. ■ The A1150/A167 would still be the more desirable route between the A1(M) North and Tees Valley.

Why is a new link road being considered rather than changes to an existing local road network?

Existing local roads (A167A1150) speed limits are 40 - 30mph with pedestrian crossing points and are lined with existing residential properties. Any proposals to increase traffic on those roads would have a negative impact to those residents in terms of noise, air quality and safe crossing points.

The Darlington Northern Link Road is proposed in order to reduce traffic and the number of HGVs currently using these local roads. The new road would have a 60mph speed limit between the northern connection and Little Burdon junction which would reduce journey times. This new Darlington Northern Link Road would be more attractive to traffic travelling to/from Teesport and the Tees Valley region than local 30mph roads with school crossing points and additional junctions.

Is Route A from the 2017 Public Information Event still the preferred option?

Darlington Northern Link Road remains a scheme in its early stages of concept development. Two alignments were developed in 2017 and named Route A & Route B for the purposes of the public information events. Work undertaken led to TVCA identifying Route A being the preferable route in a report to TVCA Cabinet on 21st December 2017. Links to the TVCA Cabinet papers are provided below. https://teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/11Annex-one-Ringroads-2.pdf https://teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/10Transport-report.pdf

There has been further work undertaken since 2018 to develop an alternative version of Route A. This current phase of work to develop a business case is revisiting technical aspects of the design including the environmental assessment. Will the previously identified Route B option be considered further?

No. Route A was confirmed as the preferred route in December 2017. Subsequent work undertaken has led to the development Route A with 3 alternative northern connection options.

What is the current preferred option?

This stage of work will conclude with the submission of an Outline Business Case to Government in early 2021. Route A was confirmed as the preferred route in December 2017 and subsequent work undertaken has led to the development Route A with 3 alternative northern connection options. This current phase of work to develop a business case is revisiting technical aspects of the design including the environmental assessment.

Please see the link to our website outlining the latest information on the proposed scheme www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/consultations We made comments on the previous Route A, have any changes been made in developing the new options?

Route A was confirmed as the preferred route in December 2017. Subsequent work undertaken has led to the development Route A with 3 alternative northern connection options.

Changes to the proposal include reducing the scheme from dual carriageway to single carriageway, moving the alignment further from away from the village of Brafferton and changing the connection into A1(M) Junction 59.

This current phase of work to develop a business case is revisiting technical aspects of the design including environmental assessment. Why has the connection into Junction 59 changed?

11 alternatives to the direct connection to A1(M) Junction 59 were developed and these were evaluated with stakeholder input. The three options identified to be progressed further were: purple, red & brown.

Please see the link to our website outlining the northern connection options that have been considered. www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/consultations How will the preferred option be chosen?

This stage of work will conclude with the submission of an Outline Business Case to Government in early 2021. Route A was confirmed as the preferred route in December 2017. Subsequent work undertaken has led to the development Route A with 3 alternative northern connection options.

A rigorous technical and economic assessment is underway looking at the impacts and benefits. This takes into account a number of issues such as environment, traffic and value for money criteria. Following the public information events, we will analyse the feedback received. Comments will be used to inform the next stages of development of the scheme and the business case that is being produced. The option that offers the greatest benefit taking all of these factors into account is usually the one that is taken forward for further design development.

How will covid-19 affect the business case for the proposed route?

The Outline Business Case is being developed for the scheme, including evidence from the traffic modelling and forecasting tools in line with current Department for Transport (DfT) standards.

At this stage the true effects of the covid-19 on the transport networks are very uncertain, and so meaningful forecasting cannot be undertaken. However, it is standard practice to develop sensitivity testing, considering reduced traffic movements, around the benefit a scheme will bring. These sensitivity tests will form part of the DNLR business case.

Other objectives for the Darlington Northern Link Road (DNLR) include to reduce Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) from using the local road network (in particular the A1150 and A167) reducing congestion and improving journey time reliability. We are aware that the DfT is considering the Covid-19 impact and will be reviewing to determine short/ long term impacts. The DNLR project is currently developing options and the conclusion of this stage is to identify a preferred option. Subsequent project stages would develop the route design and as part of that the business case would be revisited and the evidence revaluated as more is known about the effects of the pandemic. This would be in line with the DfT guidance at that time.

When will construction work begin?

This stage of work will conclude with the completion of an Outline Business Case in early 2021.

The scheme is still at the early stages of development and projects of this nature do take time to develop. Work is on-going to try and secure funding for the scheme and develop a delivery strategy, which will inform the programme and next steps.

How long will construction take?

This stage of work will conclude with the completion of an Outline Business Case in early 2021.

If the project does progress to construction, then initial estimates are 3-4 years for the construction duration. How much will it cost?

The current cost estimate for Route A is in the order of £200 million. This cost estimate will continue to be refined as the project develops.

Where is the money coming from, and is funding secured?

The Outline Business Case will be used to try and secure funding to deliver the scheme.

Will there be lots of noise during and after construction?

While all construction schemes generate a certain amount of disruption, noise is one of the criteria that is assessed during the development of these major schemes, and therefore every effort is made either in the design or the method of construction to minimise noise disruption. A Construction Environment Management Plan would be developed in subsequent stages to mitigate any construction impacts by ensuring that best practice techniques are used by the Contractor. Construction noise levels will be set by the local authority Environmental Health Officer and will be adhered to by the appointed contractor.

The scheme is still at the early stages of development and projects of this nature do take a long time to develop. There would be future consultation, specific discussions, agreements and permissions process to be followed should the scheme move the next stages of design.

How are environmental impacts being considered?

This current phase of work to develop a business case for the scheme is revisiting technical aspects of the design including the environmental assessment.

One of the project objectives is to minimise impact on the natural and built environments, including designated landscape /biodiversity features, noise and air-quality.

As part of the current process and to accord with best practice guidance, preliminary non-invasive (walk-over) ecology surveys have been undertaken to enhance our understanding of the ecological issues associated with the proposed options and to help inform the mitigation required.

The ecology surveys form one part of the Environmental Assessment, undertaken for the scheme. This assessment considers the project’s potential environmental impact assessing items such as noise, air quality and the project’s impact on climate (GHG emissions)

A walk-over survey happened on my land – can I see the results?

Survey results will not be provided to individual landowners. However, findings will be incorporated as available into the project information. Information will be made publicly available in first quarter of 2021 as supporting technical information for the Outline Business Case. How will the proposed road improvements help Public Transport users?

Public transport users will benefit from reduced congestion and greater journey time reliability.

How does this help the Airport?

The scheme is being developed as part of a wider plan to improve all of Tees Valley’s transport and infrastructure, and its construction will allow improved journey time reliability and also additional capacity to accommodate airport traffic.

How are you facilitating cyclist, pedestrian and horse rider needs in the proposed improvement schemes?

As part of the project we will review the potential impact for pedestrian, cyclists and horse riders based Public Rights of Way, with input from the relevant Rights of Way officers where appropriate.

Objectives for the Darlington Northern Link Road (DNLR) include to reduce Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) from using the local road network (in particular the A1150 and A167) reducing congestion. This would facilitate an improved local road network for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

Once a preferred route is confirmed and as the project progresses a Walking, Cycling and Horse Riding Assessment (WCHAR) Assessment will be undertaken.

The route appears to run through my land?

All landowners who may be affected by land take associated with the scheme, where their information is publicly available, have been contacted to make them aware of the proposed development and this information event. It should, however, be stressed that this is a proposed route only at this stage and may be subject to change.

Where your land will be affected by the scheme, as the scheme design progresses, the project team will contact you.

Cavendish House, Teesdale Business Park Stockton-on-Tees, Tees Valley, TS17 6QY Switchboard: 01642 524400 www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk