In Jarrow, the tunnel portals were extended south to reduce noise and improve air quality for local people. Howard Street was realigned to pass over the new tunnel and the refurbished existing tunnel, creating a combined new portal. The existing bridge carrying Howard Street was then demolished.
A new interchange connecting the A19 and the local road network was built south of the Howard Street bridge. From the southern portal, highway works extended a further 400 metres south connecting with the A19 just south of the existing Metro bridge. The existing roundabout near the southern entrance to the existing tunnel was removed and the A19 become a through route. The new ramp near Epinay Walk enables full access to and from the local road network.
The new junction is designed to enable A19 traffic to flow unimpeded in and out of the vehicle tunnels on the south side of the crossing.
The existing ventilation chimney and related infrastructure near Chaytor Street in Jarrow was modified. A new ventilation building was constructed within the new Jarrow Interchange (at the South Approach) to serve the second vehicle tunnel.
There were several challenges facing the construction of the South approach, not least of which was supporting the 38,000 daily vehicle movements in and out of the existing Tyne Tunnel, whilst demolishing existing infrastructure and building new structures. This involved detailed planning and coordination, and necessitated some out-of-hours works in order to avoid peak traffic flows.
In addition, the construction of a new access road from Howard Street bridge, passing in front of Epinay Walk, required sensitive management in order to minimise disruption to residents living nearby.
Furthermore, a combined sewer had to be diverted in order to enable the new junction to be constructed. The diverted sewer runs across the existing roundabout at the south junction, and therefore was constructed whilst maintaining traffic movements at this busy junction.