Villager for 32 years, Bill McGlen said residents now faced lengthy diversions around Herrington Country Park just to access the village.
He said he felt confused, and questioned why the road cannot be restricted to local use only.
“It will look like chaos, there will be people coming with cars not knowing the road is closed,” he said.
“It is what it is, it’s good for the area but at the same time I believe it could have been better.”
Resident Gillian Andrews said the road had previously remained open during large festivals, including Radio 1’s Big Weekend when it debuted in Sunderland in 2005, and added it would be a “nightmare for residents”.
