Closed flyover 'will eventually come down'

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon could not say whether the flyover would ever reopen

A flyover which carries tens of thousands of cars each day will need to be demolished in the future, a local authority leader has said.

The A167 bridge in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, was closed on Friday after engineers found "serious concerns" with one of its supporting pillars.

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon was unable to say whether the 1960s concrete structure would ever reopen.

"It might be that we are able to lengthen its life but at some stage this will come down," he said.

Gannon said the bridge carries about 20,000 vehicles in each direction every day and its closure would have an "enormous" impact on traffic.

He added its eventual demolition could take about two years and would require "tens of millions of pounds" of support from the government.

"Ultimately, the flyover, at some stage, will be permanently removed and we will have to live with the consequence of that."

Structural engineers found safety concerns with one of the bridge's concrete supports

Further inspections are set to take place on the ageing bridge and diversions have been put in place in the area.

"If you can avoid the area, particularly at peak times, please avoid it," Gannon said.

"If you can find alternative routes, use alternative routes. If you can use public transport, use public transport."

Previous attempts to close the flyover to traffic have been met with a backlash.

In 2020, the council introduced a number of road changes, including adding a cycle lane to the flyover, with the aim of cutting pollution.

A petition calling for the changes to be scrapped received hundreds of signatures and the policy was reversed after two days.