Sandringham Drive and Beach Avenue Lane are shut for up to 12 days, Metro is running again to Monkseaton, and a Coast Road slip road closes from 26 October.

Getting around Whitley Bay runs on a short list of roads. The A1058 Coast Road into Newcastle, the A191 through Hillheads and Whitley Road, the A193 along the seafront towards Blyth, and the A19 with the Tyne Tunnel for anything south of the river.

This page tracks what is dug up, closed or changed on them right now. It also carries the evergreen facts that stay useful in between: the tunnel toll, station parking and park and ride. Every item comes from the public record, linked as we go.

This week: two Whitley Bay closures of up to 12 days

Two local closures began on Monday 28 September, and both can run for up to 12 days, so potentially until about Friday 9 October.

  • Sandringham Drive and Wilton Drive. Sandringham Drive is shut from the Earsdon Road junction to Wilton Drive, and Wilton Drive from that junction to outside number 1. United Infrastructure is laying a new 125mm water main. The signed alternative runs via Earsdon Road, Marina Drive, Braemar Gardens and Sandringham Drive (council statutory notice).
  • Beach Avenue Lane, from the side of number 3 to the rear of number 4 Beach Avenue, for Northumbrian Water’s new service connections. The council made this order on 28 September. The alternative is via Beach Avenue, Park Road, Holly Avenue and Park View Lane, with access kept for residents and bin collections (made order; original notice).

The Sandringham Drive notice says the council “intends” to make the order, and closures bite as and when signage indicates. The yellow signs on the road are the real timetable.

Metro: Wallsend to Monkseaton is running again

Metro services between Wallsend and Monkseaton are back to normal. Just after midnight on 30 September, the operator said repairs to the signalling on that stretch had been completed and tested, and that full services would run from the start of service (Travel North East).

Elsewhere on the network, Regent Centre station keeps its early evening closures for refurbishment, from 9pm Monday to Thursday until 29 October. Trains run through without stopping and replacement bus 901 links Regent Centre and South Gosforth.

The Silverlink North closes from 6pm to midnight for resurfacing, from Wednesday 30 September. The bus operators’ latest notice, updated on 28 September, runs the diversions until midnight on Saturday 3 October. An earlier notice also listed Monday 5 October, so check before you travel that evening (Travel North East).

  • Stagecoach 22 and X22 cannot serve The Silverlink North, Quicksilver Way or Silver Fox Way. Use Cobalt Park Way, opposite Tesco Express.
  • Go North East 54A, 309, 353, 354 and 356 cannot serve The Silverlink North. Use Silver Fox Way or New York Road.

Coming up in October

The council’s October batch of temporary orders (council statutory notice) includes these Whitley Bay and coast closures:

Where From For up to Why
Coast Road slip road off Norham Road, towards Newcastle 26 October 7 days New cable installation
Park Parade Lane, behind 7 to 27 Park Parade 19 October 9 days Electrical service replacement
Cambridge Avenue Lane, behind 98 to 103 21 October 3 days Leaking pipe repair
Sycamore Avenue, outside 61 to 63 21 October 2 days Telecom pole repairs
Percy Park Lane, Tynemouth, behind 59 to 60 Percy Park 21 October 2 days Overhead telecom work
Cleveland Avenue Lane, North Shields 5 October 5 days Water meter work

The one commuters will notice is the Coast Road slip road on the west side of Norham Road, in the direction of Newcastle. The signed alternative runs via Norham Road, Verne Road, Billy Mill Avenue and Regent Terrace back to the Coast Road.

Also on the same notice: Killingworth’s Station Road level crossing closes overnight on 18 October, 10.45pm to 5am, and the footpath at Melrose Avenue, Backworth is shut from 5 October to 13 November for gas mains work.

A second resurfacing order runs from 5 October to 30 November (council statutory notice):

  • Percy Park Road and Allendale Place, Tynemouth, from Percy Street to Bath Terrace
  • Bedford Terrace and Bedford Street, North Shields, from Albion Road to West Percy Street
  • Church Way, North Shields, from Albion Road to West Percy Street
  • Howard Street, North Shields, north from Saville Street
  • Hawkey’s Lane, Preston, from Spring Gardens to the A192 at Chirton Green

As with the main programme, work only happens when the diversion signs go up.

Other changes to know about

  • The beach path from Whitley Bay mini golf stays shut. The council has extended the order from 7 October to 7 April 2027, or until the work is finished, citing unsafe access (council statutory notice).
  • New double yellow lines came into force on 21 September on part of North Parade, Whitley Bay, and at the Broadway and Links Avenue junction in Cullercoats (council statutory notice).
  • Play street Sunday, 4 October: Amble Avenue between numbers 31 and 47, 1pm to 5pm; Westward Green, 2pm to 5pm; and Hillfield, 11am to 2pm (Amble Avenue, Westward Green, Hillfield).
  • Remembrance Sunday, 8 November: a rolling closure from 2.15pm for the 3pm parade to The Links, along Station Road, Victoria Terrace, Whitley Road, Park Avenue, Marine Avenue, The Links and Watts Slope. Tynemouth’s parade has its own closures from 10.15am on Manor Road and Huntingdon Place (council statutory notice).
  • St Mary’s Island causeway: the council has applied to replace it, with the crossing closed while the work is done in summer 2027. See our story on the plans.

Parking and speed proposals still awaiting a decision

The council’s variation orders published on 27 August took objections until 16 September (council statutory notice). No made order had appeared on the statutory notices page by 30 September. The local proposals:

  • Cullercoats: all of St Oswin’s Avenue would join the CC2 resident permit zone, with 2-hour limited waiting on stretches of the street.
  • Wallsend: David Street, John Street and part of Town Square would join the WD3 permit zone.
  • Benton: the 40mph section of the A191 Whitley Road would shrink, with the rest of Whitley Road dropping to 30mph.

A separate notice proposes new crossings, including a zebra on Ennerdale Road, Cullercoats, 8 metres south of Farringdon Road (council statutory notice).

The borough resurfacing programme, until 31 October

The 2026/27 resurfacing order allows full closures, with signed diversions, on a rolling list of roads until 31 October (council statutory notice). The ones Whitley Bay drivers use:

  • A191 Hillheads Road, from Beverley Road to the Marden Bridge Middle School roundabout, the roundabout itself, and on to the petrol station exit.
  • A1058 Beach Road, from the Coast Road traffic lights to the cemetery corner at Preston.
  • Norham Road, from Sidmouth Road to the A1058 Coast Road slip road.
  • A192, from Hartley Lane to Front Street, Earsdon.
  • A193 Blyth Road, on the bend at the caravan park corner near St Mary’s.
  • The Silverlink North, now dated, as above.

We could not confirm the A19 today: National Highways’ closure report returned no listings when we checked on 30 September, which may mean no closures or an empty page. Check it before a late-night trip (National Highways closure report).

The Tyne Tunnel: what it costs and how to pay

The toll for a car, van or bus under 3.5 tonnes is £2.60. There are no barriers, and you have until midnight the day after you drive through to pay, online, on the app, by automated phone line (0191 574 0030) or in cash at a PayPoint shop (TT2). Forgetting is what generates the penalty letters, so regulars should open a pre-paid account, which also takes 10% off every crossing.

Station parking and park and ride

Driving to the Metro is often the fastest hybrid commute, and on the coast the parking is free (Whitley Bay, Monkseaton, Shiremoor station pages):

  • Whitley Bay: 76 free spaces off Station Square at Victoria Terrace, plus four accessible bays by the taxi rank and 16 cycle-pod spaces.
  • Monkseaton: 22 free spaces off Norham Road, with 20 cycle-pod spaces.
  • Shiremoor: 20 free spaces off Park Lane, with 8 cycle-pod spaces.
  • Northumberland Park is the nearest big paid park and ride: £1.80 a day, chargeable 6am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, free after 5pm and all day Sunday, with £24 four-week and £295 annual permits. Only the ground floor, about 25 bays, is currently open (Metro car parking).
Where to park for the Metro Car park spaces at coast-area stations, August 2026 Whitley Bay (free) 76 Nthmb Park (£1.80/day) ~25 open Monkseaton (free) 22 Shiremoor (free) 20 Source: Travel North East station and car-parking pages, August 2026. Chart by Whitley Bay News.
Chart by Whitley Bay News

What it means for you

  • Off Earsdon Road or Beach Avenue? Both closures started on 28 September and can run up to 12 days. Plan on the signed diversions until about 9 October.
  • Yellow Line commuters: the Wallsend to Monkseaton section is running normally again after the signalling repairs.
  • Cobalt commuters: the Silverlink North evening closures start at 6pm, so a normal office departure may meet the cones. Check where your bus is stopping before you leave.
  • Driving into Newcastle from Norham Road? The Coast Road slip road there closes from 26 October for up to a week. Use Verne Road and Billy Mill Avenue.
  • Park Parade residents: pencil in 19 October. Nine days without the back lane means bins out front and no rear access for that stretch.
  • Tyne Tunnel users: £2.60, pay by midnight the following day, and a pre-paid account saves 10%.
  • For a day out rather than a commute, the Metro connects the whole coast. Our things to do page is built around it.

Closures and dates change at short notice. The council’s statutory notices page carries its traffic orders as they are made, and National Highways’ closure report and Travel North East’s updates page are the live sources on the day.

Sources

Last updated 30 September 2026. Works move section by section under signage, so treat the lists above as the framework and the signs on the road as the timetable.