Closure of Riverside Road

Riverside Road in Stockton will close from Monday, May 26 as part of ongoing works on the Waterfront Development. 

Due to a delay in a utility company undertaking diversions earlier in the year a full road closure is necessary to make sure the ambitious project, which will deliver a stunning urban park, is kept on track for a Spring 2026 opening.

The council has been considering a range of options to minimise the impact of the utility company's delay during the diversion of services. Closing Riverside Road presents the best possible opportunity to minimise the length of time on site and is a cost-effective way of managing the impact of the delay.

Closing the road will allow for a more efficient way of working across a large, complex site without having to accommodate a live carriageway.  It will also help the Council avoid further costs which would be incurred should the project overrun.

The road will be closed until the end of the year and signed diversions will be in place.

Ensuring the project is delivered on time will shorten the disruption for town centre business allowing them to benefit from all the positives the park will bring and drive economic growth.

Councillor Paul Rowling, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources and Transport, said: "When large scale construction projects require significant utility diversions there's always a risk that unexpected issues can occur.

"Unfortunately, the utility contractor came across some technical difficulties when arriving on site to complete their works which required further time, resource and expertise than they had planned for. This meant that work on site could not progress as planned until they completed service diversions.

"Although the utility work is now completed we've been working closely with The Esh Group to find the best solution for the delay to make sure the park can open next Spring as planned.

"It is our priority to make sure that residents and businesses benefit from the increased footfall and enhanced opportunities the Stockton Waterfront urban park will bring as soon as possible.

"We've fully considered a range of options to minimise disruption to residents and businesses and we're going to monitor and assess the impact of the closure. We'll be listening to people.

"We do know that people have already started to amend their journeys while the work on the urban park has been taking place and Riverside Road has been reduced to one lane.

"However, we fully acknowledge the inconvenience this closure may cause to journeys and the businesses in the surrounding area. We're appealing for people's patience during the closure and encourage people to leave more time to travel especially at peak hours.

"Once complete the Waterfront Park will showcase a beautiful riverside plaza, exciting events spaces, unique play areas, heritage influences and opportunities for pop-up concessions. It will be transformational, opening up the High Street providing uninterrupted access to the riverside offering exciting benefits for businesses in the area.

"It will be to the benefit of everyone that the project is finished as soon as possible."

Once the road closure is in place, mitigation measures will ensure that traffic flow is impacted as little as possible, with waiting times at all traffic lights on the diversion routes monitored and temporary waiting restrictions to avoid bottlenecks, installed. Extensive traffic modelling has taken place to assess traffic flow, these have shown limited impact.

The Council has liaised with local businesses and is continuing to support them during the site development. There will be alternative access to Quayside Road businesses via Moat Street and temporary access through the former builder's yard.

Existing cycle and pedestrian diversions will also continue.

Stephen McClean, Construction Manager at Esh Construction, said: "We understand that closing Riverside Road will cause temporary disruption, and we're working closely with the Council to ensure that impact is kept to a minimum. This closure is the most effective way to ensure the project remains on schedule and will enable us to operate more efficiently and safely across the site.

"We remain fully committed to delivering a high-quality urban park that will bring long-term benefits to residents, businesses and the wider community."

The road closure will include the closure of Riverside Car Park. For details of other car parks in Stockton please visit the Council's find a car park webpage.

For more information and maps please visit the how will the works affect me webpage.