THE remodelling of the Haughton Road roundabout – a key commuter route connecting Darlington town centre – has reached a key milestone as the bulk of the work is finished.

Work to transform the former throughabout into a conventional roundabout with additional lanes to ease congestion has been delayed by coronavirus working restrictions, but the substantive works to the highway are now finished.

Works on footpaths, cycle routes and landscaping will be finished in a few weeks.

The developments looks to improve the flow of traffic on one of the town’s busiest commuter routes while supporting the growth of employment sites at Lingfield Point and Symmetry Park.

Councillor Heather Scott, leader of Darlington Borough Council, which is delivering the project, funded by Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority through the Government's National Productivity Investment Fund, said: “The works on Haughton Road have already had a transformative effect and with traffic back to 80 per cent of pre-lockdown levels it is clear the redesigned junction has greatly eased congestion in the area.

“As a council we have committed to cutting congestion and improving road surfaces around the town – this scheme goes a great way towards tackling those key aims.

“The former incarnation of this junction – the throughabout – had achieved its initial aims of opening up access to Lingfield Point, Symmetry Way and the wider McMullen Road area, leading to strong economic growth, and removing a great deal of traffic from Haughton village but as traffic levels grew further it was no longer working effectively.

“I’d like to thank everyone who travels through the area for their patience during the works and, most particularly, those living locally, who have put up with the disruption with great forbearance.”