The four-year, multi-million pound Tyne Bridge restoration project will finally begin on Tuesday 2 April, with completion scheduled to finish in time for one of the North East’s most recognisable structures’ 100th anniversary in October 2028.
The iconic bridge, together with the Central Motorway, were part of a bid of £41.4 million that Newcastle City Council submitted to the DfT in 2019 as part of their Major Road Network fund and the council has been in ongoing discussion with government ever since to secure this much-needed funding. As part of the bid, government will provide £35.3 million, with the remaining monies contributed by Newcastle and Gateshead councils.
Maintenance and refurbishment of the Tyne Bridge started in September, with work on the Central Motorway expected to last up to two years.
The funding package includes a long overdue major maintenance programme for the Tyne Bridge, which includes the sizeable task of painting it, as well as upgrading many parts of its ageing structure.
The Grade II* listed structure was last refurbished and painted in 2001 and is well overdue for a refurbishment programme. The paint system was designed to last approximately 18-20 years between major maintenance, and refurbishment works are urgently required.
The full programme includes steelwork repairs, full re-painting, concrete repairs, drainage improvements, stonework and masonry repairs, bridge deck waterproofing and resurfacing, parapet protection and bridge joint replacement. These works are required to restore the structure and future proof the route by alleviating the need for continual adhoc maintenance works.
The programme will be carefully managed in consultation with wildlife groups to ensure that the main works to the towers on the bridge are done outside of the kittiwake breeding season, with nesting provision maintained throughout the works to minimise disruption to this protected species.
The Central Motorway works will concentrate on the elevated viaduct, leading to the Tyne Bridge, The works will involve waterproofing and joint replacement to the top of the deck and concrete and drainage repairs to the underside of the deck and its supporting structure.
(Picture – Gordon Bell/Dreamstime)
