Urgent action needed to fix High Level Bridge issues
Councillors are warning the issues on the Grade 1 listed structure - linking Gateshead and Newcastle - are putting people off using it
Action is needed fast to fix issues on the High Level Bridge - which is putting off pedestrians and cyclists - according to councillors.
The Grade 1 listed structure - linking Newcastle and Gateshead - is undergoing it's first major refurbishment works since 2008, which has seen one of the footpaths closed.
But councillors were warned last week that the ongoing project, which has resulted in one of the crossing’s footpaths being closed, will do little to help pedestrians and cyclists who find using the bridge a rather soggy ordeal.
Users of the bridge regularly complain that its deteriorating condition has left water dripping down from the rail deck onto them and forming big puddles on the pavement, while graffiti and broken lighting have also been sources of concern for years.
Gateshead Council transport chief John McElroy warned that using the bridge was “quite a wet experience” and called for it to be improved so that more people feel comfortable using it during the major restoration of the Tyne Bridge, which is due to cause heavy disruption over the next four years.
Jake Walton, a senior asset engineer for Network Rail, replied at Thursday’s meeting of Tyneside’s Joint Bridges Committee that the current refurbishment works would do nothing to stop the dripping and will “not particularly” improve the pedestrian and cyclist experience at all, as they are focused on structural repairs to the bridge’s road deck.
Coun McElroy added: “I think we need to deal with the issues about that. It is a major route and will increasingly be important for people while work is being done on the Tyne Bridge over the next four years. It is a major gateway for tourists getting off a train at Central Station and going to the hotels in Gateshead.
“It was something we were proud of in 2008 and it would be a shame not to maintain it to that level.”
Earlier this year, the bridge was blighted by a spate of transphobic graffiti posted at various locations around Tyneside.
Mr Walton agreed that there were “real issues” with vandalism, but said Network Rail was not funded to deal with it and were limited in what actions could be taken due to the bridge’s historic listed status.
Newcastle Labour councillor Marion Williams, the committee’s chair, suggested that the National Lottery Heritage Fund could be a potential source of cash to spruce up the structure, which was designed by Robert Stephenson and opened in 1849.
Mr Walton told the committee that the High Level Bridge is currently expected to reach the end of its usable life in 2056, though Network Rail would hope to carry out repairs to “extend it well beyond that”.
He admitted that there will come a time when the bridge is no longer safe for road or rail traffic and Network Rail “need to start planning to do when it is not longer usable”.
He added: “It is a unique operational loop between Newcastle and Gateshead. It will be quite hard to replace that capacity, but that is where we are at.”