Tuesday 27th October 2020
Works have now been completed at Front Street/Whitley Road, Benton, and everything has been put back to normal.
We would like to thank all residents and motorists for their support and patience throughout these works, and we must apologise for the inconvenience it caused.
Should you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide in your home or in the street, please call the National Gas Emergency Services immediately on 0800 111 999.
Monday 12th October 2020
Our team have been working hard to resolve the issue that was delaying us decommissioning the existing gas pipes Front Street and Whitley Road.
Works will now begin to ‘make good’ and finish off the westbound side of the road between Tyneview Park and Marquis Close, before we move onto the eastbound side of the road.
From today, Monday 12th October, we will be putting a lane closure on the eastbound side of the road between Tynedale Terrace and the traffic lights at Station Road, to allow us to complete the works. However, there will still be two lanes available for vehicles to use.
Should we come across no more engineering difficulties, we should be finished with everything back to normal by Friday 23 October.
We would like to apologise for the delay in completing these works as planned, and would like to thank all residents and motorists for their co-operation while we work to complete this project.
For updates on the progress of the works in Benton, please keep checking this webpage, or our twitter feed at @NGNgas.
As always, if you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday, if you contact her outside of these hours, she will get back you the next working day. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Wednesday 7th October 2020
Works are still ongoing on Front Street/Whitley Road in Benton. Unfortunately, we are having some engineering difficulties around decommissioning the existing gas main. We currently have a lane closure on Whitley Road, heading westbound, between Tyneview Park and Marquis Close. Three lanes are now down to two lanes, and this will be in place for a minimum of two weeks from now.
We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the delay in completing these works, and as always, would like to thank the residents and road users for their continued support. We hope to be finished these works soon.
For updates on the progress please keeping check this webpage or our Twitter feed @NGNgas.
As always, if you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday, if you contact her outside of these hours, she will get back you the next working day. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Wednesday 16th September 2020
We will be reopening Front Street/Whitley Road to two-way traffic from tomorrow afternoon, Thursday 17th September. We will still be carrying out some work, but the traffic will be able to travel both East and West. This will help to speed up the flow of traffic, which should return to normal.
The project as a whole is still progressing. However, we encountered some engineering difficulties last weekend, when trying to decommission the existing gas main before its removal. We have found that gas is still entering the pipework, so we are currently undertaking investigation work to pinpoint where this is taking place. When this has been done, we will continue to decommission the pipework. We are carrying out this investigation work as quickly as possible.
We would once more like to thank residents and motorists for their patience as these works continue.
For updates on the progress of the works in Benton, please check this webpage or our Twitter feed at @NGNgas.
As always, if you have any queries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or at abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. If you contact her outside of these hours, she will get back you the next working day. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Wednesday 9th September 2020
Works on Front Street / Whitley Road, Benton are in the final stages but we have experienced some delays in the past week.
This is due to engineering complications involving a large diameter pipe which transports gas to the Forrest Hall area.
To prevent us having to carry out further works at a later date, we’ve brought in a specialist team to resolve this complex stage of the project now.
Although this means that the finish date for the Benton scheme will now be 19th September, it does mean we won’t need to return later this winter.
All traffic management are our teams are expected to be off site on 19th September and we would again like to take this opportunity to thank the residents and road users in the area for their patience as we work to complete the project as safely and quickly as we can.
As always, if you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday, if you contact her outside of these hours, she will get back you the next working day. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Friday 4th September 2020
The work is progressing well and we are now in the final stages of the project.
However, we have encountered an engineering difficulty which means that we are going to have to block one side of the access to Tyneview Park. There will be an alternative entry point into Tyneview Park, but when leaving, drivers will only be able to turn left on to Whitley Road to access Front Street (the A191). A signed diversion is in place for drivers to follow, and we are advising customers to leave extra time for their journey, particularly when the traffic is busy.
For pedestrians, there are crossing points at and around the junction that can be used, including across the A191.
As soon as possible, we will be doing all final connections. We will then ‘make good’ the site and clear up our equipment so that Front Street can open fully again in both directions.
We would like to thank everyone for the patience and understanding whilse we complete these works.
For the latest updates, please keep checking this webpage, or our Twitter feed at @NGNgas. If you have any queries about these works, please contact our Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 or email them at customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Tuesday 18th August 2020
Works are progressing extremely well down on Front street/Whitley Road and we are now well into the latter stages of the scheme. We have reached Tyneview Park, and will be continuing to dig and lay the new gas main this week. We will be looking to start the connection process next week before beginning reinstatement.
We are on track to complete this project as scheduled, within the original 11 week timescale.
We would again like to take this opportunity to thank the residents and road users in the area for their patience with this work.
For the latest updates, please keep checking this webpage, or our Twitter feed at @NGNgas.
As always, if you have any queries about these works, please contact your dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. For any out-of-hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Tuesday 4th August 2020
Works have now passed the half way point and we are approaching the later stages of this project. We are currently on schedule, making up the lost time we gained at the very beginning of the works, and as long as we have no unforeseen circumstances we hope to be finished on time.
Since the closure of the west end of Eastfield Road we have found it to be a much safer site, and we would like to thank the residents and road users for following the traffic management.
We introduced a left turn out of Tynedale Terrace to help give residents access. Unfortunately, as we have now reached this point on Front Street/Whitley Road, we are going to have to close the Tynedale Terrace junction off again from Friday 7 August until the end of the project. Residents will still have access into Tynedale Terrace travelling west, but will not be able to turn left out of the street until the works are complete.
All traffic will only be able to turn right onto Front Street/Whitley Road and will have to follow the diversion in place. This is to allow the project to finish as quickly and as safely as possible.
Again, we would like to thank residents and road users in the area for their continued patience and support during these works.
For updates on progress, please keep checking this page or our Twitter feed @NGNgas.
As always, if you have any queries, please contact your dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can contact the site manager, Andrew Rodda, on 07975 235 919 or at arodda@northerngas.co.uk . For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 (option 3) or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Friday 24th July 2020
Works are progressing, but we are still experiencing some engineering difficulties and are working through these as quickly as we can so that the project does not fall behind schedule.
Traffic management will continue to stay the same, as ensuring public safety is still our priority. Only westbound traffic will be able to use Front Street. It is still closed to eastbound traffic. We apologise to residents, especially those living on Eastfield Road, that we cannot provide any more access at this time. However, at present it is just too unsafe, as other road users are not travelling through residential streets with care. Drivers still need to use the diversion that is in place.
Residents and employees of the nearby DWP offices can use the filter lane to turn left onto Front Street. Please do not turn left at the traffic lights, as the pedestrian crossing signals do not link up with these lights. You can only turn right on to Whitley Road or travel straight up onto Station Road from these lights.
As the work progresses along Front Street, we may be able to review the traffic management arrangements to provide more access to residents and other road users. We will update this page and our Facebook and Twitter channels if and when we are able to do this.
We would once again like to thank the residents of the Eastfield Road estate, Front Street and Whitley Road for their continued support and patience.
As always, if you have any queries about these works, please contact your dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. You can contact her on 07811 970 544 or email her at abrightman@northerngas.co.uk
For any out-of-hours queries, please call our Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 (select option 3) or send us an email at customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Monday 20th July 2020
Work to replace the gas mains at Front Street in Benton are progressing well. However, the closure of Front Street for eastbound traffic will remain in place until further notice. The closure is in place from the junction of Coach Lane, then along Front Street to the junction of the traffic lights at Station Road and Whitley Road. If you are a driver, please follow the signed diversion.
We have had a number of queries about access for residents to the Eastfield Road estate and surrounding properties. Unfortunately, at present it is necessary to keep the access from the west entrance of the road closed off. We had to make this decision in response to public safety concerns.
We know that this is frustrating for residents, but want to assure you that we are working closely with Northumbria Police to identify those cars that were speeding on residential roads and not following the diversion.
Every resident should have now received a letter from NGN about the traffic measures that were put in place on Wednesday 15th July. If you have not received a letter or have any queries, please get in touch with your NGN Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman. Her details are below.
You can contact Alexandra on 07811 970 544 or on email at abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
For any out-of-hours queries, please call our Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 (select option 3) or send us an email at customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Wednesday 15th July 2020
Due to the number of drivers still ignoring the signed diversion around Front Street in Benton, we and North Tyneside Council have made the difficult decision to now close Front Street at the junction with Coach Lane for all drivers. This closure is now in effect.
Since Monday, we have received reports from concerned residents about motorists driving along Eastfield Road at speed, as a way of getting around the diversion. This is a residential street with a speed limit of 20mph, which reflects the number of families with children living there.
To help ensure public safety, all drivers will need to use the diversion down to Coach Lane, along the Coast Road and back along the A186 to the roundabout next to The Range.
We know that these additional restrictions will be inconvenient for residents, but our priority is to ensure the safety of all road users and pedestrians while Front Street is closed for the next eight to ten weeks.
As always, if you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Drivers in Benton urged to use signposted diversion along Front Street
Motorists wishing to travel east along Front Street need to follow the signed diversion which is in place.
Over the past weekend, it has become clear that some drivers are not using the diversion, but are instead trying to continue using Front Street, or are using side roads to access Front Street when there is traffic travelling towards them in the opposite direction. By ignoring the signed diversion, drivers are endangering other road users who are using Front Street in the correct way.
There is still access to Tynedale Terrace, Carlton Road or Eastfield Road but this is only to give residents access to their homes on the Eastfield Road estate.
After liaising with North Tyneside Council, NGN has made the decision to close a longer stretch of Front Street, between Station Road to Coach Lane on the south side only. This closure will improve the flow of traffic and means that drivers cannot turn onto Front Street to travel east, and must use the signed diversion. This closure is fully signposted and is now in effect.
Drivers travelling in the opposite direction, from east to west, can use Front Street but there are temporary traffic lights in place which will make journey times slightly longer.
NGN is urging drivers to use the diversion to ensure the safety of other road users and to help keep the traffic flowing. There will be a police presence on Front Street for the duration of the works, to ensure public safety.
As always, if you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Wednesday 8th July 2020
The new gas pipe has now been laid in the ground at the junction of Coach Lane and Front Street, and we will now work to get everything connected up ready for the second phase of the works.
From Saturday 11th July at about 8am, a lane closure will be put in place on the ‘south side’ of Front Street. All drivers travelling from east to west will still be able to do so, but there will be temporary traffic lights on place which may affect your journey time. Any motorists wishing to travel east along Front Street will have to follow the signed diversion that will be put in place. There is a map beneath this update showing you the route.
This closure will be in place for about eight weeks, as long as we don’t come across any unforeseen circumstances or engineering difficulties. Traffic from Tynedale Terrace, Carlton Road or Eastfield Road will only be able to turn right when leaving the Eastfield Road estate. However, residents will be able to access Eastfield Road from the western entrance. This entrance is to be used by estate residents only, and there is no through road for other traffic wishing to travel west.
We aim to complete these works as quickly and as safely as possible, while also following government guidelines for safe distance work around Covid-19. Thank you to customers in Benton for your patience at this time.
As always, if you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Monday 6th July 2020
Works are progressing at the junction of Coach Lane and Front Street, and we will be starting to lay the new pipe from Tuesday 7th July 2020. Due to ongoing engineering difficulties it is unlikely that the planned closure of part of Front Street will be in place this week. It is now likely that this will be put in place from Monday 13th July 2020. We will provide you with a further update on Thursday afternoon this week.
We aim to complete these works as quickly and as safely as possible, while also following government guidelines around Covid-19. Thank you to customers in Benton for your patience at this time.
As always, if you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk’
Monday 29th June 2020
Work is still progressing on the junction of Front Street and Coach Lane, but due to unforeseen circumstances and engineering difficulties it is slightly behind schedule. We are aiming to minimise this delay as much as we can as the work continues.
The closure of part of Front Street will begin in the week starting Monday 6th July 2020. When we know which day that week, we will update this webpage and our social media sites.
The closure will be put in place on the ‘south side’ of Front Street, in the lanes that carry traffic from east to west. Traffic travelling in this direction will still be able to drive along Front Street by using the opposite lanes.
Anyone traffic travelling west to east, from Four Lane Ends, will need to use a diversion which will be put in place. Traffic will be diverted down Coach Lane, along the Coast Road and back along the A186 to the roundabout next to The Range. This diversion will be clearly signposted before and during the closure of Front Street. Please allow extra time for your journeys.
Residents of Eastfield Road Estate will be an exception and will still be able to access their homes whenever they want to. Any traffic leaving the estate from Eastfield Road, Cheviot View, Parkland, Carlton Road or Tynedale Terrace will only be able to turn right onto Front Street.
We aim to complete these works as quickly and as safely as possible, while also following government guidelines around Covid-19. Thank you to customers in Benton for your patience at this time.
If you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Monday 22nd June 2020
Works started on the junction of Front Street and Coach Lane on Monday 15 June, and focused on identifying the location of other existing utilities in the junction. The NGN team will now begin the main excavation works required to carry out the replacement of the large diameter gas main.
Although the project is in its very early stages, we really appreciate the understanding and patience being shown by the local community and motorists using Front Street.
We aim to complete these works as quickly and as safely as possible, whilst also following government guidelines around Covid-19. Thank you to customers in Benton for your patience at this time.
If you have any enquiries about these works, please contact our dedicated Community Care Officer, Alexandra Brightman, on 07811 970 544 or abrightman@northerngas.co.uk between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. For any out of hours calls, please call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk
Monday 15th June 2020
The North of England’s gas distributor, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), will be carrying out essential works on Front Street, Benton from Monday 15 June 2020.
This 11-week project, which has been planned closely with North Tyneside Council, involves replacing 500m of old metal gas mains with modern plastic equivalents. The pipe has required several repairs in recent years and has now been prioritised for replacement, in order to minimise any future disruption for customers.
Works will take place in the main carriageway of Front Street, Benton, and begin on the junction of Coach Lane and Front Street. In order to protect engineers and members of the public, it will be necessary to introduce temporary traffic lights at the junction for three weeks.
Phase Two of the project will begin week commencing Monday 6 July 2020 and it will last for eight weeks.
During this phase, an east-to-west road closure will be introduced on Front Street. Traffic will still flow east to west under traffic light control. Any traffic wishing to travel west to east from Four Lane Ends, with the exception of residents of the Eastfield Road Estate, will be diverted down Coach Lane, along the Coast Road and back in along the A186 (to the roundabout next to The Range).
This closure will be in place for eight weeks, with traffic controlled at the junction of Front Street, Station Road and the entrance road into Tyneview Park DWP by three-way traffic lights.
A signed diversion will be put in place for motorists travelling westbound into Newcastle and Gosforth.
Andrew Rodda, Site Manager for Northern Gas Networks said: “We have worked closely with North Tyneside Council to plan this essential work. Everything is being done to ensure the safety of our workers and the public during the work, in line with Government and health guidelines.
“We are committed to ensuring the smooth running of the gas network during this challenging time, and to keeping our customers and colleagues safe.”
NGN will be publishing weekly updates on all its channels, @NGNgas on Twitter and Facebook.com/northerngasnetworks, and at www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk
For further information about the project, please contact NGN’s Customer Care Officer Alex Brightman on 07811 970 544 or email abrightman@northerngas.co.uk Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5pm. Outside these hours, you can speak to our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 option 3.
Anyone that smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
