Newcastle's Haddricks Mill roundabout gets £4m upgrade

The two mini roundabouts will remain but will be repositioned

One of Newcastle's busiest junctions is to get a £4m overhaul.

Thousands of drivers and cyclists from six different roads get caught up in traffic jams on Haddricks Mill double roundabout in South Gosforth every day.

Newcastle Council's original plan to create one giant roundabout was met with criticism from residents.

Now a new plan has revealed that the roundabouts will be repositioned and new crossings installed. The work, due to take a year, will begin in spring.

The council said two-way traffic access on all approaches to Haddricks Mill would remain apart from "occasional" weekend and night closures towards the end of the improvements, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The work is expected to take about a year

Councillor Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality, said Haddricks Mill was "a notorious junction" and was getting "a much-needed overhaul".

She added: "This is a major safety and infrastructure upgrade scheme, designed to improve safety and smooth traffic flow at peak periods - reducing congestion and encouraging more sustainable choices of travel - which should improve air quality.

"Due to the junction's location over the Ouseburn and several businesses lining the approaches, the options available to improve it are limited but we have designed a scheme that delivers safety and congestion improvements for one of the key routes into the city and which takes into account residents' feedback from our earlier consultation."