National Highways' Moor Farm consultation drew 932 responses: 96% want the junction fixed and 64% back Option D, a bridge taking the A19 over it.
Most people who answered National Highways’ consultation on Moor Farm roundabout want the A19 to go over it. Of those who picked an option, 64% chose Option D, which puts A19 through traffic on a new bridge above an enlarged roundabout.
National Highways has published its consultation summary for the A19 Moor Farm junction, dated October 2026. The consultation ran from 16 June to 28 July and drew 932 responses. It does not pick a scheme yet: that comes later, in a Preferred Route Announcement.
Cramlington and Killingworth MP Emma Foody, who has campaigned for the upgrade, welcomed the results in a statement sent to the Post this week.
What people said
The summary sets out the figures from the feedback forms:
- 932 responses: 877 online, 23 on paper and 32 by email
- 96% (867 people) agreed that the junction needs improving; 3% (23) did not and 1% (eight) did not know
- 64% (552) preferred Option D
- 26% (226) preferred Option E
- 9% (81) had no preference
More than 400 people went to six public events: 110 and 58 at the Community Hub in Cramlington on 25 and 27 June, 67 at the John Willie Sams Centre in Dudley on 21 July, 20 at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital on 9 July, and 77 at Blyth Beach and 74 in Blyth Market Square on 10 and 11 July.
People described “severe congestion on all approaches, with long and unpredictable delays that affect daily travel, emergency access and local communities”, the report says. Safety came up often too: confusing lane layouts, poor signage, red light jumping and the two entries without signals, “where drivers feel forced to take risks to join fast moving traffic”. Many felt that new housing, more demand for hospital services and growth in the region had left the junction “no longer fit for purpose”.
The two options
Option D would carry the A19 on a new bridge over Moor Farm roundabout, so A19 traffic would not have to stop there. The roundabout would be enlarged and changed to handle local traffic. There would be a wider shared path for walking and cycling on the western side, passing under the new bridge. The westbound exit to Dudley Lane would go, with traffic using Broad Law instead.
Supporters said it would cut congestion the most by taking A19 through traffic off the roundabout. Some compared it with the A19 schemes at the Silverlink and Testos. Others said it would cut rat-running through Annitsford.
Option E would add free-flow links between the A19 and the A189, so some traffic could skip the roundabout: a new bridge for the northbound link and a ground-level link southbound. A19 traffic going straight on would still use the junction. Supporters said it better matches the heavy peak flows between the A19 and A189, and would be simpler to build, better value and less of an eyesore.
Several people asked for the southbound A189 to A19 link from Option E to be added to Option D, or for a three-tier layout like the Silverlink. Other suggestions included:
- keeping the Dudley Lane slip road open
- red-light cameras and yellow boxes on the roundabout
- a slip road straight to the hospital
- including Seaton Burn in the project, so the queues do not just move up the road
What the MP says
Emma Foody said:
“I have been leading the campaign for upgrades at Moor Farm because we know that this bottleneck is holding back growth, harming investment and causing misery to local people using the roundabout.
“I am not surprised with the findings and that 96% of people responding supporting these vital upgrades. For too long, this issue has impacted communities and the region as a whole, and the resounding response shows just that.
“I have met with National Highways to talk through the report, and discussed the importance of moving forward at pace. I also believe there is an opportunity to improve the proposals to support those using both the A19 and potentially a segregated left turn from the A189 that I will continue to explore with National Highways.”
Her office says the government announced in March that Moor Farm would be part of the fourth Road Investment Strategy, and that this was the first scheme in that strategy to go out to consultation.
What happens next
National Highways says it is still working through the responses, along with technical and environmental work, and will refine the designs for both options. If the Department for Transport lets it move to the next design stage, it will name a preferred option in a Preferred Route Announcement. The MP’s office says the design work and a business case are due in the first half of 2027.
The report says there “may be further opportunities” to have a say if the scheme goes ahead to the next stage.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes on the road yet. There are no works dates, and no option has been chosen.
- Keep an eye on the project page. Updates will appear on the A19 Moor Farm consultation page.
- Questions can go to National Highways on 0300 123 5000 or A19moorfarm@nationalhighways.co.uk.
For current closures across the county, see our Northumberland roadworks page.
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