Tyne Bridge commuters have been thanked for following travel advice, but warned that the end of the school Easter holidays could see conditions on roads around the ongoing engineering work worsen. The Newcastle Chronicle is reporting that the work, which will see engineers spend four years carrying out over 900 steelwork repairs, along with repainting and a range of other vital restoration tasks. The bridge is now reduced to one lane in both directions to enable the work to be carried out.
The lead engineer on the project from Newcastle City Council revealed what the council believes to have been the impact on journey times so far – and said work had “already made good progress”.
Pamela Holmes, assistant director of transport at Newcastle City Council, said: “We want to thank commuters who have listened to our advice over the first fortnight of works on the Tyne Bridge. This is a huge project for the region. We are restoring a national icon and we know the entire region wants to see the bridge back to its best.
“We know that reducing the number of lanes on the bridge does cause disruption on routes into the city centre, particularly at rush hour. That is why we have been so vocal in recent weeks, in the lead up to the closures being put in place, so we can minimise that disruption as much as possible.”
Ms Holmes said that over the first two weeks of work, journey times had increased, but perhaps by less than had been anticipated. She said: “We saw an average peak journey time travelling northbound, from Gateshead Stadium to the bridge, of 18 minutes entering the city in the morning, and 14 in the evening.
“Travelling southbound, from Cowgate junction to the Bridge, the average journey time was 10 minutes in the morning and 24 minutes in the evening. These are modest increases but nothing like some of the figures we saw reported in the opening days of the work, and not significantly higher than prior to the works starting.
“In fact, some of the journey times from the Coast Road were largely unaffected by the works, but we know that traffic has been lighter given the school holidays.”
Next week, with the school holidays finished, it is expected that traffic will be heavier – and the top council figure asked drivers to think carefully about their journeys.. She said: “Please continue to consider alternative routes in the city, take advantage of the various park and ride sites or utilise the public transport network across the region. For now, we want to say a huge thank you to those who have heeded our advice and kept traffic moving in recent days.
“The traffic has been moving but drivers have been patient, they have merged well and they have understood that this disruption will be taking place. Although the work we undertake is not always obvious given the location of some of the repairs, we have already made good progress and can’t wait to see the end result.”
Esh Construction is carrying out the work on behalf of Newcastle and Gateshead Councils and work has been ongoing in a number of areas of the bridge. Public transport, walking and cycling route changes have been put in place in hope of easing congestion, while travellers are urged to avoid going through the centre of Newcastle and Gateshead if possible.
Instead, people are asked to stay on major trunk roads and use other river crossings such as the Tyne Tunnel, Scotswood Bridge or Blaydon Bridge. The Tyne Bridge will see lane restrictions like those currently in place for a minimum of two years, with further temporary lane closures and overnight closures scheduled for the following two years.
It is hoped the work will finish in summer 2028, ahead of the bridge’s centenary in October that year. The project is being funded by both councils and the UK Government, with Whitehall having signed off £35.2m towards the scheme – and upgrades to the Central Motorway – in February..
The councils have been told the remaining £6m needed will come from the Government’s Network North plan, but confirmation remains outstanding. . To find our more about the project, including the most up-to-date travel advice, visit tynebridge.org/.