What starts in 1 week and will be a nightmare?
Yes....it's the Tyne Bridge restoration works
A massive restoration project to return the Tyne Bridge to its former glory is finally set to start in earnest next week.
The North East’s icons first major maintenance in more than two decades comes after years of waiting and a protracted saga over funding for the vast refurbishment project.
And the scheme is set to cause significant disruption around Tyneside for some time, with the bridge’s capacity having to be cut in half during a large section of the works.
Motorists and businesses are being urged to make alternative plans to avoid traffic chaos on the region’s roads.
With just days to go before the renovations get underway, here is everything you need to know about the Tyne Bridge’s facelift.
When does the work start and how long will it last?
While some initial preparatory works on the Tyne Bridge began last autumn, the main and most disruptive phase of the restoration will start on Tuesday, April 2.
The works, to be carried out by Esh Construction, are expected to last for four years and it is hoped that they will be completed by the summer of 2028 – in time for the bridge’s centenary celebrations in the October of that year.
What lane restrictions are there going to be on the bridge?
For a large section of the huge engineering project, the capacity of the Tyne Bridge will be cut in half – reducing it to one lane of traffic in each direction.
On April 2 and 3 these restrictions will be in force at off-peak times during the day (expected to be between 9.30am and 3.30pm), as was the case over recent weeks when scaffolding was being erected around the Gateshead side of the bridge.
A full overnight closure will be in place from 8pm on the evening of April 3 and the bridge will then reopen at 6am on Thursday, April 4 – from which point the lane restrictions will be in place 24 hours a day.
The half-capacity restrictions are expected to be in place for a minimum of two years, with further temporary lane closures and full overnight closures planned after that.
How long will my journey be delayed?
The Tyne Bridge is one of the main routes in and out of Newcastle, carrying around 70,000 vehicles a day, so heavy congestion around the area is expected while there are lane restrictions in place on the crossing.
Motorists have been warned that their journeys could take between 30 and 40 minutes longer than usual at peak traffic times.
The start of the works coincides with the school Easter holidays, so the impact should be lighter for the first couple of weeks, before traffic returns to normal levels on Monday, April 15.
Major disruption is expected on all routes towards the Tyne Bridge from Newcastle and Gateshead, as well as on the Quayside and over both the Swing and Redheugh bridges.
What alternatives are there to driving over the Tyne Bridge?
Drivers are being strongly urged to avoid driving over the bridge if they can, with businesses having been told to encourage working from home or stagger their start times.
People are advised to use bus or Metro services when travelling into Newcastle city centre or Gateshead town centre, or to walk or cycle.
Secure bike storage in Newcastle city centre is available at the Eldon Garden multi-storey car park, with further facilities being set up at the Dean Street and Grainger Town car parks.
A new park and ride facility will open on April 2 at the Metrocentre’s staff and coach park off the A114 Riverside Way.
Motorists travelling across the region are advised to avoid the city centre area if they do not need to be there and instead use other routes to cross the Tyne – such as the A1 to the west of the city and the Tyne Tunnel to the east.
Will I be able to walk or cycle over the bridge?
Yes, one footway will be kept open at all times throughout the Tyne Bridge’s restoration.
Why has it taken so long for this work to start?
The increasingly poor state of the Tyne Bridge has been obvious for some time, but it has taken years to finally reach this point.
With local councils unable to afford the cost of the refurbishment works themselves, they originally bid to the Department for Transport for funding in 2019 – since when the region’s leaders have campaigned vocally for the Government to back the project.
While ministers announced in June 2022 that the funding bid had been approved, that was followed by a long wait for the money to actually be delivered and arguments between local authorities and the Government over who was to blame for the delay.
Newcastle and Gateshead councils’ final business case for the project was eventually signed off in February 2024 – more than four years after the first bid was lodged.
What work is being done and why is it going to last four years?
The last significant restoration works on the Tyne Bridge were completed in 2001, so there are a large number of repairs required now.
While the need for a fresh coat of paint has been clear to anyone who has seen the grade II* listed crossing for the last several years, detailed inspections carried out in 2022 revealed that the rusted bridge was in a worse state than had been expected.
In total, there are around 1,000 separate repairs that engineers are planning to carry out on the bridge – including a full repaint, steelwork, concrete, and masonry repairs, waterproofing, road resurfacing, parapet protection, drainage improvements, and bridge joint replacement.
Will the bridge be painted green again?
Yes, the paint colour used will be British Standard BS14C39 or ‘Greenwood’, which council chiefs say is “a colour as close to the original as possible”. Green is the Tyne Bridge’s traditional colour scheme, though it was painted blue and grey for a time in the 1960s.
Will the bridge be covered by scaffolding for four years?
The bridge will never be completely covered up during the four-year renovation project. Council bosses say that, because of weight limits on the bridge, scaffolding will be installed on different sections of it in 20 different phases.
How much will it cost and who is paying for it?
The cost of the works in the Tyne Bridge itself is an estimated £32 million, though it is part of a larger £41.4 million project that also includes improvements on part of the Central Motorway.
The Government has now signed off on £35.2 million of funding to cover the bulk of the works and it was expected that the remainder would be covered by Newcastle and Gateshead councils.
However, following the scrapping of HS2’s northern leg last October, the Government pledged to cover the full cost of the scheme as part of Rishi Sunak’s Network North programme. That extra £6 million is yet to be delivered.
What about the kittiwakes?
The Tyne Bridge is home to more than 1,200 pairs of nesting kittiwakes – the furthest inland colony of the sea birds in the entire world.
Engineers waited until the kittiwakes had departed before starting to erect scaffolding last September and have installed “kittiwake hotel” nesting ledges on the scaffold towers for when they return for their breeding season.
Will this affect the route of the Great North Run?
The image of thousands of runners crossing the Tyne Bridge during the Great North Run, with the Red Arrows soaring above, is one of the most famous sights in the North East.
The annual half-marathon will not be rerouted during the bridge’s restoration, with councils saying there should be “minimal impact” on runners.
Transport chiefs have promised to “carefully” plan the works around the Great North Run to make sure there is enough space for runners to cross it safely.