Work to deliver the next phase of a key link road in Sunderland has been completed by Esh Construction. The Ryhope Doxford Link Road, now known as Rotary Road, is made up of three sections with Esh’s civil engineering division delivering the second section.
Working in partnership with Sunderland City Council, Esh constructed a 600m single carriageway along with a Non-Motorised User (NMU) bridge for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians above the link road to allow the new highway to pass beneath Burdon Lane.
The road will connect Ryhope to the A19, Tunstall and Doxford Park in the west and links Doxford Park to the Southern Radial Route, enhancing access from the City Centre to the A19 in the south.
Steven Garrigan, Divisional Director at Esh Construction, said: “The completion of Ryhope Doxford Link Road marks another great scheme delivered in partnership with the council to improve local infrastructure and transport links in and around the city.
“The project has involved a significant amount of bulk earthworks with more than 99,000m3 of rock and 48,000m3 of clay excavated and removed from site to pave the way for the new road.”
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) were constructed on site in the form of three basins and one pond. More than 3,300m of drainage was also installed.
Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Dynamic City, Cllr Kevin Johnston, said: “The completion of this section of Rotary Road marks a significant step forward in our plans to complete infrastructure that will support the South Sunderland Growth Area. This will represent a large part of our city’s future as we increase and broaden our housing stock and offer more residential choices in Sunderland.”
Garrigan added: “We committed to employing local throughout the project, as a result, 70% of operatives working on the scheme lived within 25km of site and a third of operatives reside in Sunderland.”
As part of Esh Construction’s commitment to delivering social value throughout the scheme, a £2,500 donation was made to International Community Organisation of Sunderland to support workshops and activities focusing on nature in Ryhope’s Backhouse Park through the ‘Greener Communities’ fund. A further £3,000 was donated to Lighthouse Club for industry employee support and to sponsor a mental health awareness roadshow which also visited the site.
Two STEM career days were delivered at Seaham High School and Get into STEM sessions were delivered at Hudson Road Primary and St Patricks Primary. More than 80 apprentice training weeks were completed on the scheme and three students attended a work experience placement.
The completion of Ryhope Doxford Link Road marks another great scheme delivered in partnership with the council to improve local infrastructure and transport links in and around the city.”
