9 THE NEW TEES CROSSING: Unlocking the Future Prosperity of Tees Valley MARCH 201 Public Consultation Brochure FOREWORD THE STORY SO FAR ees Valley Combined Authority has ambitious plans to grow the local economy. By 2026 we want to create 25,000 new jobs and build 23,000 new homes. For all of this to happen we need a first-class transport system. T Transformational improvements to the road network are critical to help us achieve our vision to provide a high-quality, quick, affordable, reliable, integrated and safe transport network for people and freight to move within, to and from Tees Valley. The existing Tees Viaduct carries the A19 Trunk Road and suffers severe congestion at peak times. This daily congestion is frustrating for motorists and negatively impacts local businesses. To boost access to strategically important sites, and to ease congestion, we need to provide a new strategic road crossing of the River Tees. Providing a New Tees Crossing is therefore one of our main transport priorities for the region. It is seen as essential to facilitate growth and is supported and endorsed by Transport for the North. We have been developing and refining our plans since work started on the New Tees Crossing scheme in 2015. The timeline below shows the progress so far In this brochure we explain our proposed options for a New Tees Crossing. We also provide details of how you can give us your feedback during our public consultation period. COUNCILLOR STEPHEN HARKER COMBINED AUTHORITY PORTFOLIO LEAD FOR TRANSPORT LEADER OF DARLINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL 2015/16 — A specialist group was established to 2017 — Following detailed appraisal of the two investigate the potential for a New Tees options, the Newport Bridge option was Crossing. This group included representatives not considered to be viable due to the from all five Tees Valley Local Authorities as increase in congestion it caused around well as Highways England, and consideration Newport Interchange. was given to an initial “long list” of 14 options. 2018 — To ensure that the performance of the Tees 2016 — Following high-level investigations of all 14 Viaduct Option provided best value for possible solutions, the four best options were money, it was important that a new option selected to undergo further, more detailed be selected for it to be compared against. engineering feasibility assessments. The resulting review of previously discarded solutions and discussions around potential new routes resulted in an alternative, the 2016 — The Department for Transport’s Early Tees Viaduct Capacity Enhancement Option, Assessment and Sifting Tool (EAST) was being identified. utilised to see how the four options performed in comparison to one another. This resulted 2019 — Work to date concludes that the Tees in two options being selected to be taken Viaduct Capacity Enhancement Option forward for further detailed consideration, is likely to be the preferred solution. the Tees Viaduct Option and the Newport Bridge Option. 2019 — Eight-week public consultation launched 2017 — Five public information events were held in March 2019 to gain feedback on the two across Tees Valley as part of a major shortlisted options. consultation exercise. The overall reaction to the proposal was positive, with over two thirds of the responses being in favour of a New Autumn — Preferred route announced. Tees Crossing. 2019 2 The New Tees Crossing | Tees Valley Combined Authority Tees Valley Combined Authority | The New Tees Crossing 3 OPTION DEVELOPMENT Assessments undertaken since 2015 have resulted in the initial ‘long list’ of fourteen options being refined and reduced to two, the Tees Viaduct Option and the Tees Viaduct Capacity Enhancement Option. This process of selection has followed the Highways England's Project Control Framework (PCF) model, which ensures that the options pass through thorough and rigorous assessment. Detailed environmental and economic investigations of the two options have been undertaken and have shown that the Tees Viaduct Capacity Enhancement Option outperforms the Tees Viaduct Option by some margin in a variety of areas: ■ It achieves the overall scheme objectives of reducing ■ It has a shorter construction period compared to the peak period congestion on the A19 and A66 Tees Viaduct Option, thereby minimising disruption to the travelling public and any associated negative ■ It provides a better Benefit to Cost Ratio than the impact on the Tees Valley economy whilst it is Tees Viaduct Option, meaning that it generates more being built benefits per pound invested, bringing greater value for money ■ It retains direct connectivity for all existing ■ It has a smaller environmental impact than the Tees movements, meaning that all vehicles can follow Viaduct Option their current routes to reach their destination. Therefore, although the Tees Viaduct Option is still an alternative, it is our belief that the Tees Viaduct Capacity Enhancement Option will be the likely preferred route announced in Autumn 2019. However, we would like to know what you think. KEY FACTS POTENTIAL OPTIONS CONSIDERED ■ The A19 is part of the Strategic Road Network, which is the responsibility of Highways England. For this reason, Highways England is a member of the Project Board formed to steer the development of the new crossing ■ All seven of Tees Valley’s Enterprise Zones lie within 25 minutes’ drive of the existing A19 Viaduct ■ The existing viaduct opened to traffic in 1975 ■ There are ten crossing points of the River Tees between the west of Stockton and the coast. However, only two of these crossings are capable of carrying significant volumes of traffic – the A66 Surtees Bridge and the A19 Tees Viaduct ■ In 2016 the average daily traffic flow on the Tees Viaduct was 112,000 vehicles. The equivalent figure in the late 1980s was around 45,000 vehicles ■ In comparison, the Newport Bridge carries approximately 23,000 vehicles per day and the Transporter Bridge carries fewer than 1,000 vehicles per day ■ The Tees Viaduct is the only section of the A19 between Thirsk and the Tyne Tunnel that does not currently meet Highways England’s “mile per minute” objective for strategic highways/expressways. © 2019 Microsoft Corporation © 2019 DigitalGlobe © CNES (2019) Distribution Airbus DS 4 The New Tees Crossing | Tees Valley Combined Authority Tees Valley Combined Authority | The New Tees Crossing 5 Newport OPTION 1: Interchange THE TEES VIADUCT CAPACITY Newport ENHANCEMENT OPTION Bridge Existing structure Middlesbrough widened to accomodate Existing structure an additional widened to accomodate southbound lane an additional southbound lane Existing structure A19 / A66 widened to accomodate Interchange an additional southbound lane New slip road New Tees Crossing for diverge to Portrack northbound traffic Billingham Interchange Portrack Interchange North Tees Industrial Estate Existing A66 to Teesside A19 merge Leisure Park New structure reconfigured to over A1046 connect to New Tees Crossing Portrack River Teesside Retail Park Tees Marshalling Shopping Park Yards Merge to A19 northbound from Additional lane on New Tees Crossing Portrack A66 in both directions Relief Road between the A19 and Teesside Park Additional northbound Merge to A19 and southbound lane northbound from Thornaby Portrack Interchange Portrack provided between Lane Tees Billingham Bottoms and Barrage the A19 Tees flyover WHAT ARE WE PROPOSING? The most favourable solution for a New Tees An additional eastbound lane will be added to the Crossing is the A19 Tees Viaduct Capacity A66 between the Teesside Park Interchange and the Enhancement Option which is shown on the plan viaduct, to smooth the flow of traffic and aid merging above and which is expected to cost in the region and diverging movements. An additional westbound of £200-250million at today’s prices. lane will be added to the A66 between the viaduct and Teesside Park Interchange for the same reasons. Stockton A new two-lane bridge will be built parallel to the existing A19 viaduct to carry traffic travelling The proposed alignment of the Portrack Relief Road northbound from the A66. In addition, the existing is also shown on the plan. This forms part of the Connection to A19 structure will be widened to provide an extra lane New Tees Crossing scheme, and will further improve Norton to Wynyard improvement scheme for southbound traffic. the operation of the strategic corridor by alleviating congestion at Portrack Interchange. The existing connections between the A19 and the Norton A66 will be simplified. New links will be provided The existing speed limits of 70mph on the A19 and where necessary to ensure that all existing traffic 50mph on the A66 will be retained. movements are accommodated. © Crown Copyright and database rights 2019 OS 100023297 6 The New Tees Crossing | Tees Valley Combined Authority Tees Valley Combined Authority | The New Tees Crossing 7 Newport OPTION 2: Interchange THE TEES VIADUCT OPTION Newport Bridge Realign A1032 Tees New Tees Bridge Approach Crossing for Middlesbrough Road to allow southbound traffic construction of new two-lane carriageway adjacent to existing Tees Viaduct structure A19 / A66 Interchange New structure over A1032 New slip road New Tees diverge to Portrack Crossing for Billingham Interchange northbound traffic Portrack Interchange North Tees Industrial Estate Existing A66 to Teesside A19 merge Leisure Park New structure reconfigured to Diverge from A19 over A1046 connect to New southbound to New Tees Crossing Tees Crossing Portrack River