The wait is over - bridge repairs are set to start
| Published date | 22 March 2024 |
| Publication title | Evening Chronicle |
The huge project is expected to cause severe disruption across Tyneside, as the bridge will be reduced to just one lane of traffic in each direction - restrictions that will be in place 24/7 and last for at least the first two years of the project.
Drivers have been warned that journeys across the Tyne Bridge, which carries 70,000 vehicles every day, could take 30 to 40 minutes longer at rush hour. Heavy congestion is expected on the Quayside, over the Swing and Redheugh bridges, and on all approaches to the Tyne Bridge from Newcastle and Gateshead.
Council chiefs are urging people to make alternative journey plans where possible - either by travelling outside of peak times, switching to public transport, walking or cycling, or using the A1
It is a £42m programme... inevitably or Tyne Tunnel to cross the river if they do not need to be in the city centre.
Speaking on a tour of the bridge's scaffolding yesterday morning, Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp told The Chronicle: "It is a four-year, £42m investment programme into significant infrastructure. It will inevitably have inconvenience for people.
"It is now about listening to the communication messages we are putting out, thinking about alternative routes you can use, looking at avoiding peak times where possible, and understanding that there will be a degree of patience required."
A new park and ride facility is being opened from April 2 at the Metrocentre's coach and staff car park, while council bosses say they have also upgraded traffic signals to try to year, investment it will have keep vehicles moving and prioritise key bus routes.
Coun Kemp added: "We are doing everything we possibly can [to avoid congestion]. It is a significant bottleneck in some ways, being one of the few routes across the river. But this is essential work that is necessary after significant underinvestment from Government for many, many years."
Gateshead. Council leader Martin Gannon admitted that some drivers will have "no alternative but to stand in the traffic" once the bridge's capacity is halved, but pleaded with others to...
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