Further improvements are to be made to a busy Hartlepool roundabout following a period of monitoring by Hartlepool Borough Council.
Changes to road markings and signs at the A179 Hart Road/Easington Road/West View Road roundabout are designed to help traffic move more smoothly through the junction and reduce queuing on key approaches.
To allow the work to be carried out safely, the roundabout will be fully closed from 7pm on Wednesday 30 September until 6am on Thursday 1 October.
Motorists are asked to avoid the area during this time and use alternative routes.
Monitoring of the junction commenced following the completion of a major scheme to remodel and introduce traffic lights at the roundabout in late 2025.
This has highlighted several opportunities to improve how drivers use the lanes and increase the amount of traffic able to pass through the signals.
The changes will include:
- Northbound (A179 Easington Road): Both lanes on the approach to the roundabout were originally allocated for traffic turning left towards the A19, but vehicles often use only the left-hand lane. The middle lane on the roundabout will now be dedicated to traffic using the A1086 Coast Road while the right-hand lane on the roundabout will be for right turns only into West View Road.
- Eastbound (A179 Hart Road): New signs and road markings will make clear that both lanes can be used by traffic turning right towards the town centre. Additional markings on the roundabout will also help drivers remain in the correct lane.
- Westbound (West View Road): The right-hand lane will become right-turn only to support the revised arrangements above.
Councillor Amanda Napper, Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services Committee, said: “We promised to closely monitor the roundabout once the new signals were operating, and that is exactly what we have done.
“That monitoring has identified some practical changes which we believe will make better use of the road space, help traffic move more smoothly and reduce queues. These could not have been readily foreseen until the signalised roundabout was in operation.
“We know how important this busy junction is to motorists, and these improvements show that we are listening, reviewing how the scheme works in practice and taking action where further improvements can be made. They demonstrate the Counci’'s ongoing commitment to improving our highway network.
“Ahead of the works, I’d like to thank motorists for their patience and understanding.”
The cost of the improvements will be met using funding from the developers of the nearby Hartwell Park and Hartside View housing developments, meaning there will be no cost to the Council.
The original roundabout improvement scheme was introduced as the transport assessment associated with the planning application for the housing developments identified that full signalisation was needed, and that without it the resulting additional traffic would lead to lengthy queues as development in the area progresses.