Gateshead council leader’s fears over Tyne Bridge delays
The region’s leaders have already warned drivers and businesses to steel themselves for four years of transport chaos around Newcastle[1] city centre during the long-awaited refurbishment works, which will see traffic on the bridge cut to just one lane in each direction.
But there remains major uncertainty over when the main phase of the North East icon’s repairs can begin.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last week that the Government is yet to hand over the tens of millions of pounds it has pledged to pay for the project.
Council officials on Tyneside hope that the key phase of the massive maintenance scheme, which involves critical structural fixes on the grade II* listed crossing as well as a full repaint, will begin early in the new year.
But Gateshead’s Labour leader warned on Tuesday that a failure to get started before the end of January could have dire implications – both in terms of further disruption to the public and escalating costs.
Cllr Martin Gannon suggested that pushing the works’ start date back could mean the entire scheme slips back, potentially meaning the renovations would not be complete in time to celebrate the bridge’s 100th anniversary in October 2028.
He told a meeting of the North East Joint Transport Committee (JTC): “We need to get on with this work. There are very complex contracts involved and there are issues with the kittiwake season. We have had to erect the scaffolding [around the bridge’s Gateshead tower] and do that from the contributions that Newcastle and Gateshead councils have made.
“If the work does not start in January, there is a real danger that we slip into another year of disruption. That is another year of disruption for Newcastle city centre, into another Great North Run, and it will probably increase the costs considerably.
“We wrote at the beginning of December asking for confirmation of the funding before the end of the year and we have not received it.
“We are in a position where we need that confirmation as quickly as possible. If it does not come through, it will have profound implications on the cost of the scheme and on the economic consequences for Newcastle, Gateshead, and the wider region.”
The Department for Transport said last Friday that “details related to funding will be confirmed in due course”.
The JTC signed off on £3.4m of funding on Tuesday for measures to help mitigate the impact of the Tyne Bridge works, which it is feared will put an extra 30 to 40 minutes on road journeys around the city centre.
There are plans to build a new park and ride site near the Metrocentre where commuters can leave their cars, as well as measures to prioritise bus services in Jesmond.
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The Government announced in June 2022 that it would put £35.3m into a project to refurbish both the bridge and the Central Motorway.
As part of Rishi Sunak’s Network North pledges made after the scrapping of HS2’s northern leg, an uplift in funding has since been promised to cover the full £41.4m budget.
Some preparatory works have already begun on the south side of the bridge, where scaffolding has been erected, which have been paid for through Newcastle and Gateshead councils’ contribution to the project.
References
- ^ Newcastle (www.thenorthernecho.co.uk)
- ^ Click here (www.thenorthernecho.co.uk)