Member Article

Wear crossing will provide welcome new route into Sunderland, John Anderson CBE comments

Friday marks the last chance for comments supporting the New Wear Crossing to be submitted to the Department for Transport.

The City Council submitted a bid for £82.5m to the Department for Transport (DfT) in September. If it’s successful, and funding is approved, the appointment of contractors will start in early 2012, with construction taking place from autumn 2012 to autumn 2015.

A bridge is needed as part of a new route into central Sunderland, linking Port of Sunderland with the A19. In addition to providing a new crossing over the Wear, a new bridge and approach roads will make acres of brownfield regeneration land available for housing and private sector investment and employment.

Sunderland’s New Wear Crossing will help reduce traffic congestion and connect major development sites. The planned crossing is from Castletown on the northern banks of the River Wear to Pallion on the south. It will create a crossing for vehicles, pedestrians and cycles, connecting the city centre with its communities.

The North East BIC is situated, alongside many other thriving businesses, on Sunderland Enterprise Park, which will form an important part of the route towards Sunderland city centre across the bridge. Having based our services here since 1994, and worked closely with Sunderland City Council and other major stakeholders across Wearside since, we are fully in support of the bridge campaign, and confident that it will provide a significant development towards a healthy future for Sunderland.

Public consultation has indicated that there is widespread support for this project from the people of Sunderland, so as a member of the North East’s business community, I urge you to take a moment to lend your support by sending a short comment to the address below, marking your support towards this milestone for the growth of our region.

Comments can be sent to development.pool@dft.gsi.gov.uk by Friday 14 October.

Information, including a 3D flythrough of the New Wear Crossing can be seen via www.newsunderlandbridge.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Anderson CBE .