Contractors in the north east are racing to repair a huge sinkhole which has opened on the A1.
The hole is at least 3m deep and around 6.5m diameter and is believed to be related to old mine workings in the area.
As a result the A1 northbound is currently closed between junctions 67 (Coal House) and 68 (Lobley Hill) on the western side of Newcastle and Gateshead.
Work has been ongoing overnight and is expected to continue throughout today to investigate the extent of the hole, and start the necessary repair to make the carriageway safe for traffic.
Extra measures are being put in place to minimise disruption. This includes introducing a contraflow on the southbound carriageway, lifting toll barriers for the Tyne Tunnel, and suspending roadworks on other key routes which are likely to be affected by traffic diverted from the A1.
This area of the highways network is maintained by AOne+, a Costain/Halcrow/Colas joint venture.
Rob Beckitt, duty operations manager at Highways England, asked people to avoid the A1 if possible. “Safety is our top priority; we have to ensure the carriageway is totally safe before drivers use it,” he said.
“We and our contractors have been working hard with partners since the hole was discovered last night, and will continue to do so to make the carriageway safe as quickly as possible.”
Highways England said it hoped the road will be safe to re-open on Wednesday morning.
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