Flyover checks were not weekly, council admits

A flyover which has been closed for safety concerns had not been inspected weekly, despite the assurances of a council leader.

The A167 Gateshead Highway was closed on 13 December after inspectors flagged serious concerns with one of its concrete supporting pillars.

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon had previously told BBC Radio Newcastle and the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the flyover had been inspected "every week" due to its age.

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

The closure forced Metro services running underneath the 1960s structure to be suspended for almost two weeks in December due to safety concerns.

It has also added to congestion at peak times on nearby roads, with drivers already facing delays travelling across the Tyne Bridge, which is undergoing major renovation work.

In response to a freedom of information (FOI) request, the council said in recent years the road bridge had undergone government-mandated inspections in 2004, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.

"Over and above these inspections an experienced structural engineer carried out regular, routine inspections of the structure to ensure its structural integrity," a spokesperson said.

These additional inspections took place "every week" Gannon told BBC Radio Newcastle on 16 December, and in an interview with the LDRS in mid-January the council leader said the structure was on a "weekly, if not daily basis" being inspected for spalling concrete.

The council declined to confirm how often these additional assessments had actually taken place.

Asked why Gannon had repeatedly said inspections had been carried out weekly when this was not the case, the council said he had been speaking after a verbal briefing from staff immediately after the emergency closure and had been referencing a number of assessments carried out over the last year.

Gannon earlier said that drivers could expect disruption for the foreseeable future as the flyover's demolition was likely to take about a year.

He said it was a "really complex, difficult piece of work".

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