A690 road: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The A690 is a road in County Durham running from Sunderland in the east through Durham into the Pennines. From the road just west of Sunderland, a good view can be had of Penshaw Monument.

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 carriageway 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'. 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 becomes a national speed limit dual carriageway and runs through Houghton-le-Spring, out of the City of Sunderland boundary and on toward the A1.