Drivers face bank holiday weekend travel chaos with northbound Tyne Tunnel closure

North East drivers are set to face delays this weekend due to the northbound closure of the Tyne Tunnel.

TT2, the company which operates the Tyne Tunnels, has confirmed that the northbound tunnel will be closed to members of the public from 8pm on Friday, May 3, until 6am on Tuesday, May 7.

The northbound tunnel will be closed so scheduled maintenance work can be carried out.

Throughout the closure period, the southbound tunnel will operate as bi-directional to accommodate travel both north and south of the River Tyne.

This means that traffic heading in both directions on the A19 will be down to one lane and will most likely cause delays over the bank holiday weekend.

The northbound tunnel closure will put extra pressure on an already busy transport system, especially with the Tyne Bridge also only operating one lane in both directions due to the ongoing restoration work.

Drivers using the Tyne Tunnel are also reminded that toll prices have gone up from today (May 1).

It means that for cars/vans (Class 2 vehicles), the price will be increasing from £2.20 to £2.40 and for HGVs (Class 3 vehicles, the cost is rising from £4.40 to £4.80.

Sign up to NewcastleWorld’s newsletters to receive headline round-ups and breaking news alerts When speaking about the price rise, a spokesperson for TT2 said: “The Tyne Tunnels are an integral piece of the North East’s road network and are privately operated and maintained roads.

“The operation and construction costs of the tunnels are solely funded by tolls, not council tax, and the toll change, applied under the terms of the River Tyne (Tunnels) Order, is necessary to cover the running and maintenance costs of the tunnels and repay the costs of the construction of the second Tyne Tunnel, in-line with inflation.”

For more details on this weekend’s Tyne Tunnel closure, visit: https://www.tt2.co.uk/nb-weekend-closure-may-2024/.