Weather/Road watch

[SmilerFTM]

I'm supposed to be travelling from Hartlepool up to Rowlands Gill this Friday morning (26th) to get my MX-5 lowered and aligned and while the roads down here in Hartlepool shouldn't be any bother at all (very rarely ever are to be honest) I was wondering if people could let me know what they are like further inland and further north as the weather forecasts are for more snow and freezing weather conditions between now and then. I'll be basically driving up the A19 to Sunderland/Washington then across on the B1231, further north on the A1 before heading south from the Metro Centre to Rowlands on the A694.

[md.]

Get radio newcastle/ Real radio on from 6am mate. Updated literally constantly while the weather is like this. Also the Local BBC website.

[TX1]

That route should be fine, do not take the Consett route as the roads up there get very bad.

[SmilerFTM]

Thanks, will do both. I also just remembered my mate sometimes works in Ponteland and will be travelling that way before I am if he's working there that day. I should give him a call.

[SeanyD]

The main A and B roads in the area are pretty okay, it's the side streets which are currently a problem.

I do the A19/1231/A1 regularly with no problem in an Elise, however conditions can change within minutes.

[killysprint]

The A1 and the rowlands gill road are fine.... the problem will be the 600yds from the main road down to AK automotive. When I went past yesterday it looked very dodgy!

[Mastodon2]

The roads are great today compared to yesterday. Most main roads are clear but wet at the moment, then you turn onto some of the side streets and they are nigh impassible. Fingers crossed it's slowly thawing though.

[Baryonyx]

There has been a bit of sleeting on tonight that has turned the roads a tad treacherous again. Much like Monday night, the worst conditions seem to be when the roads have thawed and are wet before snow falls again, freezing to a sheet of ice with a snowy top.

I didn't think the roads were all that bad today but driving home along the A69 tonight on the way home I passed a gritter near Throckley. Once the gritter was behind me, the roads were as bad as they've been yet in terms of snow coverage!

[Drifter699]

I have just driven along Fellside road in Whickham (past the Woodman's) and it has a huge amount of grit on it. Si it looks as if they expect it to get icy or snowy tonight