Bridge safe for another 50 years, councillors told

Councillors have been reassured a bridge is safe to remain in place for another 50 years, after the demolition of a nearby flyover raised questions about its structural integrity.

Gateshead Council's corporate resources scrutiny committee was told there were no plans to decommission the Redheugh Bridge, and that officers were satisfied it was far away from the end of its useful life.

The discussion was sparked by whether the council had learned lessons from the recent demolition of the A167 flyover and how decommissioning similarly large pieces of infrastructure would work.

Gateshead Council closed the flyover in December 2024, after inspections raised concerns over a potential collapse.

The committee was informed by officers that there were no plans to remove the Redheugh Bridge and no need to do so, as it still has about 50 years of life left, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It was designed and constructed in the early 1980s, and the council continues to "invest" in and "maintain" it, officers said.

Any money spent on the maintenance of bridges that span across the Tyne is funded by Gateshead Council and Newcastle based on the size of their population, currently Newcastle representing 60% and Gateshead 40%.

Senior council engineer Trevor Waggett also told councillors that while the Redheugh Bridge and the flyover had a similar construction "ethos", they were certainly "not the same".

Newcastle Council decided to close the Redheugh Bridge last week due to the high winds associated with Storm Boelo and the yellow weather warning in place at the time.

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