Noise warning for Christmas Day bridge demolition

The demolition of the old bridge can only take place when trains are not running

Work to remove a bridge that once carried traffic on the A1 will be "particularly noisy" over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, residents are being warned.

The old Allerdene Bridge in Gateshead has been replaced by a new structure that opened in September 2023.

The removal operation has been going on each Saturday night since October but this stage will see 24-hour working.

Helen Burrow, National Highways project manager, said: "This work will be even louder than the previous weeks as we will be starting to demolish the central bridge structure."

National Highways says most of the work on the A1 Birtley to Coal House scheme is complete

The Allerdene Bridge once carried traffic over the East Coast Mainline railway so, for safety reasons, work can only take place when trains are not running.

After Christmas and Boxing Day, National Highways will continue the demolition every Saturday night and plan a further six weekends of 24-hour working.

The work is part of a series of works along the A1 between junction 65 (Birtley) and 67 (Coal House), which includes increasing the number of lanes on both sides of the carriageway.

Ms Burrow said the majority of that work had been completed "ahead of schedule".

"We thank people for their patience while engineering work on the new Allerdene Bridge continues as well."