A PROJECT to make a busy road in Hartlepool safer for pedestrians gets under way next month.

A £40,000 package of measures for traffic calming and pedestrian safety will be put in place on the town's Jutland Road.

Not only is the road a main route for pedestrians and youngsters travelling to and from Golden Flatts Primary School, it is also a busy shopping area and is the location for a community building and sheltered housing.

The improvements have been planned under the Safer Routes to School initiative, following consultation with the school and residents.

The cost of the scheme is being met by the Owton Rossmere Partnership, which is using money from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget to revitalise the Owton and Rossmere areas.

Raised areas, with markings, will be installed, as well as barriers along the edge of parts of the footpath, to discourage pedestrians from cutting across the road at the junctions. Two speed humps will also be added.

The work - which is being overseen by Hartlepool Borough Council's Highways Section - will take about four weeks to complete.

Paul Watson, Hartlepool council's road safety officer, said: "This project should create a better, safer road for both pedestrians and drivers alike."

"Not only will these measures cut traffic speeds on this busy road, but by creating a safer environment for pedestrians, we hope it will encourage more people to walk rather than take the car, and so help ease traffic congestion."

Kate Callan, headteacher at the nearby Golden Flatts Primary School, said: "Our motto at the school is Keep our Children Safe and these improvements are an excellent way of helping to achieve that."