Government release £35m for Tyne Bridge makeover
The Government are promising £35 million pounds will be given to the North East to pay for regeneration work on the Tyne Bridge.
The Government are promising £35 million pounds will be given to the North East to pay for regeneration work on the Tyne Bridge.
Roads Minister Guy Opperman is in Newcastle to confirm that the Tyne Bridge will undergo an extensive renovation programme, alongside major improvements on the Central Motorway East A167 to tackle congestion and improve journey times in and out of Newcastle.
With the centenary of the bridge’s opening approaching in 2028, they say the investment will safeguard the Bridge for future generations while improving air quality and growing the economy in Newcastle and the North East.
A Grade II listed structure, the Tyne Bridge is a defining landmark of the North East. Designed by the same team as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it was the world’s longest span bridge at the time of its construction in 1928, and over 70,000 drivers now use the bridge every day to get in and out of Newcastle.
It was officially opened by King George V, with the Royals becoming the first to cross it in a horse-drawn carriage, watched by 20,000 local school children who were given the day off to mark the occasion.
The bridge has survived lightning strikes and has been used to mark occasions such as the 2012 Olympics and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The last major maintenance work to the bridge carried out in 2001, while the A167 has not received significant maintenance since it opened in 1975.
After receiving the final supporting information from the Councils in late November 2023, the Department was then able to start to fully assess and progress the business case – as is the usual process, working quickly to approve the funding for the maintenance works to start as soon as possible.
The project will see the Government provide £35.2 million towards the total scheme cost of £41.4 million. The remainder of the funding will be provided by Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council.
Earlier this week, Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp visited 10 Downing Street, to push the case for the funding to be released.
Cllr Kemp was joined by cabinet member Cllr Alex Hay on a visit to London this week as part of a launch event for a Laing Art Gallery exhibition currently on display in Downing Street
They visited the exhibition on Tuesday where nine artworks from Newcastle proudly on display on the corridor leading from the famous black door of number 10 to the Cabinet Room.
Paintings in the display include a large oil painting by Edward Dickey, depicting the cherished Tyne Bridge mid-construction.
So it was appropriate for Cllr Kemp to use the visit as an opportunity to lobby Government ministers on the release of the £41.4m funding package to restore the Tyne Bridge.
The funding was confirmed in June 2022 and a final business case submitted to the Department of Transport in July 2023.
Cllr Kemp said: “It was fantastic to attend the exhibition at Downing Street and see artwork depicting our incredibly city on display.
“As proud champion and custodian of the Tyne Bridge it was timely to see a piece depicting its construction in the hallways of number 10.
“Together with colleagues across both Newcastle and Gateshead, I’ve pushed the case for this funding to be released.
“We are a proud region. We are proud of our heritage, proud of our roots and proud of our icons. We cannot sit back and wait for the promised funding to be delivered.
“I will continue to lobby on behalf of the people of our region who expect and deserve to see this iconic restructure returned to its former glory.”
The first phase of the restoration to the Tyne Bridge got underway in September, using the councils’ contribution.
The ambitious four-year programme to the Tyne Bridge includes steelwork repairs, grit blasting and re-painting, concrete repairs, drainage improvements, stonework and masonry repairs, bridge deck waterproofing and resurfacing, parapet protection and bridge joint replacement.
The artworks will remain in the corridor for a year, as part of the Government Art Collection’s ‘Number 10 Museum in Residence’ project.