The government has been urged to back the long-awaited £44m Blyth Relief Road.
Plans to cut congestion around the town with the new route have been in the works since 2015 and the latest vision for the project could see the road finally opened in early 2026. Northumberland County Council’s preferred option, after previous designs were deemed undeliverable, is now a realignment and dualling of the existing A1061 Laverock Hall Road, plus an additional link between Chase Farm Drive and Ogle Drive to cut traffic queues along Cowpen Road.
A public consultation on the plans is now set to be launched and councillors called this week for there to be quick progress on the scheme, which will be dependent on government funding. Liberal Democrat Jeff Reid told a full council meeting on Wednesday that the proposed February 2026 completion date was “a long time for the people of Blyth to be suffering” and current traffic caused by road closures around the town is a “nightmare”.
