Flyover may never reopen, council leader says

The 1960s-built Gateshead Highway flyover was shut on Friday evening due to safety fears

A flyover which was closed over safety concerns may never reopen, a council leader has said.

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

Gateshead Council's Martin Gannon told BBC Radio Newcastle the structure may close "permanently" if the pillar could not be repaired, with plans for its demolition brought forward.

"We always knew, and probably have done for many years, that eventually that flyover has to come down," he said.

He said the Labour-led council was waiting on reports from structural engineers and hoped work could be carried out to stabilise it.

Metro services have also been affected, with trains moving at a reduced speed in the Gateshead area.

Nexus said its tunnels were "directly underneath" and the measures would be in place until further assessments were completed.

It comes amid ongoing traffic issues in the town including the partial closure of the Tyne Bridge, which is being restored ahead of its centenary.

Labour's Martin Gannon said demolition of the flyover may happen sooner than anticipated

Gannon said the 1960s-built flyover had to be routinely inspected every week due to its age.

He said funding was in place to demolish it, with a plan to start work towards the end of the decade.

However, due to the latest issue, that could now take place sooner.

"It was going to be a major operation - to remove that flyover could be up to two years of work causing major disruption," he said.

"We have to wait and see what the engineers say. Maybe that work can be done to stabilise it.

"However, if they say that pier is unsalvageable then it means the upper level will have to be closed, effectively permanently, and then we will have to decide what we will do with the under level."

Liberal Democrat Ron Beadle said the council should have acted sooner and had known the road needed repairs for more than 10 years.

He added its priority should be to remove the flyover and reopen the A167 at ground level.

The council said it had previously been told the flyover could continue to be used safely while it developed a "longer-term" plan, and any issues had been addressed as part of its "increased monitoring".