New strengthening begins at doomed flyover

Engineers have begun a new phase of works aimed at reinforcing a flyover shut on safety grounds.

The A167 Gateshead Highway has been closed to all traffic since mid-December when concerns emerged about its structural integrity, causing significant travel disruption in central Tyneside.

Concrete is being poured around two of the pillars and it is hoped the measure will enable Metro services to continue as normal and possibly lead to the reopening of the Sunderland Road bus lane.

Gateshead Council expects the work to take four to five weeks.

The flyover itself is not expected to reopen to traffic and is instead set to be demolished, although plans are still being finalised.

Council leader Martin Gannon told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) in January that it would take "probably a year" for the flyover to be torn down and that it would be a "really complex, difficult piece of work".

The government has so far refused to commit any funding to the flyover works, though North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said she was willing to help the council pay for its demolition.

There have been plans to remove the flyover and build a tree-lined boulevard in its place since 2008, but they have never been funded.

Past estimates suggested the cost would be anywhere up to £74m, although that figure would likely be higher today due to inflation.

Earlier this week, the council admitted it had not carried out inspections on the structure "every week" as Gannon had claimed in interviews with BBC Radio Newcastle and the LDRS.

The Labour-led local authority said assessments were "not necessarily" carried out this frequently but the flyover had "regular" inspections throughout the year.

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