A19 weekend closures near Hartlepool as £70 million upgrade nears completion ahead of schedule

Highways England has said major work to upgrade a busy section of the A19 that will bring safer and better journeys for drivers is stepping up a gear.

It has said it is making good progress on increasing the capacity between the A1027 Norton and A689 Wynyard-Hartlepool junctions to create a third lane.

It expects to finish the scheme in the autumn, several months earlier than planned.

With the installation of concrete central barriers, drainage and earth works, the team are ready to overlay the concrete surface with a new, quieter, road surface.

This means there will be closures during two weekends in June.

Project manager Keith Bradley said: “Over the next two months we will be working on the southbound carriageway and then the northbound carriageway.

"Our improvements will not only make the road surface safer along this key route, but will also make it quieter.

“This next phase of work marks an important moment for this stretch of the A19 as it brings us closer to our autumn completion date which is much earlier than originally planned.

“We would like to thank all drivers and residents for their continued patience as we reach the final stages of this upgrade so the region and drivers can soon benefit from this major investment.”

The £70 million-plus A19 Norton to Wynyard improvement scheme is part of a £300 million-plus investment into upgrades along the A19 to improve safety, cut congestion and boost access for drivers.

To allow work to continue, ongoing traffic management will be in place, while over two weekends the northbound carriageway will close from 8pm on the Friday until 6am on the Monday from June 4-7 and June 11-14.

On both weekends, on the Friday and Sunday nights, the A19 will be closed from 8pm to 6am between the A139 and the A689.

The rest of the time the road will be closed between the A1027 and the A689.

Some weekday overnight closures will be required over coming months.

Highways England advises drivers to plan ahead by visiting https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/a19-norton-to-wynyard/, follow the regional Twitter feed at @HighwaysNEAST or Facebook feed by visiting www.facebook.com/highwaysneast for updates.

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on Pools and new puzzles every day.

With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Click here to subscribe.