A690 road
Encyclopedia
The A690 is a road in County Durham
running from Sunderland in the east through Durham
to Crook
.
section runs from the city centre to a large roundabout
at the Barnes. The road then becomes dual carriageway
and climbs a steep hill toward High Barnes, alongside the Bede site of the City of Sunderland College
. Beyond a set of traffic lights at the Prospect Hotel, the road remains dual carriageway, but the inside lane is a 'no car lane'. (In early 2009 the Prospect Hotel was demolished to make way for a new Lidl store.) The road then climbs another hill, becoming single carriageway, with the Farringdon
estate to the east and the Thorney Close
estate to the west. A down hill stretch leads into the East Herrington
and then on toward the A19
fly-over. Past the A19, the road once again becomes a dual carriageway and runs through Houghton-le-Spring
, via a locally famous transport feature named Houghton Cut. This huge cut through the hillside was reputedly built with the forced labour of Napoleonic prisoners of war. The road then runs out of the City of Sunderland
boundary and on toward the A1.
Just after the A19 intersection, the road comes to a notoriously bad intersection - which is frequented by a speed camera van on the Eastbound carriageway just outside the Evans Halshaw car dealership and again during the 50 miles per hour (22.4 m/s) section outside of the village of West Rainton.
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
running from Sunderland in the east through Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
to Crook
Crook, County Durham
Crook is a market town in County Durham, England. It is situated about 10 miles south-west of Durham.Crook lies a couple of miles north of the River Wear, on the A690 from Durham...
.
Sunderland section
Throughout the Sunderland section it is known as either Durham Road or New Durham Road, and is one of the major routes in and out of the city. A single carriagewaySingle carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
section runs from the city centre to a large roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
at the Barnes. The road then becomes dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
and climbs a steep hill toward High Barnes, alongside the Bede site of the City of Sunderland College
City of Sunderland College
Sunderland College, is a Further Education, Higher Education College based in Sunderland, North East England. The enrolment includes around 6,300 part-time learners and approximately 4,800 full-time students...
. Beyond a set of traffic lights at the Prospect Hotel, the road remains dual carriageway, but the inside lane is a 'no car lane'. (In early 2009 the Prospect Hotel was demolished to make way for a new Lidl store.) The road then climbs another hill, becoming single carriageway, with the Farringdon
Farringdon, Sunderland
Farringdon is a suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.Farringdon is a council-built housing estate, erected in the 1950s. It is approximately 3 miles south of the city centre along the A690, close to Thorney Close, Silksworth, East Herrington, Gilley Law and Doxford Park.-History:Up until the...
estate to the east and the Thorney Close
Thorney Close
Thorney Close is a suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear in England.It is located on the northern edge of the A690 , and borders with Grindon to the north and Herrington to the south, and the A19 to the west....
estate to the west. A down hill stretch leads into the East Herrington
Herrington
Herrington is an area in the south of Sunderland, formerly in County Durham in North East England.The Herringtons are split into East & Middle and West and New villages. East and Middle Herrington is now a largely residential area just off the A690...
and then on toward the A19
A19 road
The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road, although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland...
fly-over. Past the A19, the road once again becomes a dual carriageway and runs through Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring is part of the City of Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear, North East England that has its recorded origins in Norman times. It is situated almost equidistant between the cathedral city of Durham 7 miles to the south-west and the centre of the City of Sunderland about 6...
, via a locally famous transport feature named Houghton Cut. This huge cut through the hillside was reputedly built with the forced labour of Napoleonic prisoners of war. The road then runs out of the City of Sunderland
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
boundary and on toward the A1.
Just after the A19 intersection, the road comes to a notoriously bad intersection - which is frequented by a speed camera van on the Eastbound carriageway just outside the Evans Halshaw car dealership and again during the 50 miles per hour (22.4 m/s) section outside of the village of West Rainton.