Mayor pledges funds to speed up flyover safety work

The North East regional mayor says she is willing to fund the demolition of a flyover which was closed this month on safety grounds.

The A167 Gateshead Highway may never reopen after inspectors flagged serious concerns about a concrete supporting pillar.

Mayor Kim McGuinness pledged to use regional resources to help end the "disruption and harm" caused by the closure, saying the region could not afford to wait for government funding.

The announcement comes as a local councillor called on regional leaders to address public concerns about the plans to end disruption caused by the closure.

Until 13 December, the flyover served as a major traffic artery for up to 40,000 vehicles a day.

Its sudden closure brought parts of the region's transport network to a standstill.

Metro services crossing the River Tyne have been suspended due to the possible dangers to a tunnel close to the flyover.

Operator Nexus described the situation as "one of the biggest operational challenges" faced in the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The subsequent impact on footfall in some areas has also caused a drop in trade, according to business improvement district NE1.

McGuinness met with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Gateshead MP Mark Ferguson and Gateshead Council Leader Martin Gannon on Monday.

She said "immediate" action was being taken to repair the flyover to the point where the Metro can operate again, but did not detail what action or when it was likely to see trains running.

The mayor said: "Gateshead Council must deliver a plan to make that happen within days, they know that and they have my full support in getting it done."

She said an urgent fix is critical and a permanent solution would see the flyover demolished and the road network redesigned, adding: "There's no route to delivering all of this without some Government funding.

"We have agreed to continue this discussion, but we can't afford to wait for that.

"We are willing to use regional resources for the demolition to take place as soon as Gateshead can put a plan in place."

The mayor's comments came after Liberal Democrat councillor Dawn Welsh called on the region's leaders and transport officials to participate in a special scrutiny meeting to discuss the "critical transport infrastructure situation".

Welsh, who also sits on the North East Combined Authority (NECA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee, hopes a meeting will kick start a study into the crisis and, more widely, the resilience of the region's highways and the feasibility of the mayor's Local Transport Plan.

She said in the absence of a dedicated transport scrutiny body for the region, it is essential the mayor and relevant officials address public concerns about the region's infrastructure.

A NECA spokesman said the chair and members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would act in line with its function to review the work, policies and decisions of the authority.

He said Gateshead Council had responsibility for the flyover's upkeep, adding that NECA and the mayor had offered support.

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