"We have also clearly signposted the route traffic needs to take through the southbound tunnel, to assist customers further."
Chris Ward,TT
TT2 Limited, the operator of the Tyne Tunnels, is advising customers to allow extra time for journeys this weekend as the northbound tunnel is set to close for essential maintenance.
Customers will be directed to use the southbound tunnel, which will operate as both north and southbound crossing, while the maintenance takes place. This could lead to increased congestion, which may cause a slightly longer journey time may be required.
The northbound tunnel will be closed from 06:00 on Saturday 25 January until approximately 19:00 on Sunday 26 January.
TT2 Limited have ensured extra staff are available during the closure to help customers with queries and to make using the temporarily bidirectional southbound tunnel as smooth as possible.
A permit only lane will also be available for pre-pay customers.
Chris Ward, customer operations manager at TT2 Limited said: “We appreciate that it is an inconvenience to close one of our tunnels over the weekend, and we want to thank our customers for their understanding and patience.
“We occasionally need to carry out essential maintenance that takes more time than our usual overnight work, but we have tried to offset this by opening a permit only lane and bringing in extra staff for the weekend.
“We have also clearly signposted the route traffic needs to take through the southbound tunnel, to assist customers further.”
The northbound tunnel will be closed from 06:00 on Saturday 25 January until approximately 19:00 on Sunday 26 January.
