Tyne Bridge to close overnight for weeks before restoration

The iconic structure is badly rusted

Weeks of overnight closures on the Tyne Bridge will be necessary in the run-up to a long-overdue restoration.

Newcastle City Council said engineers needed to assess how bad its state of repair was before the government would sign off funding for the work.

The council has bid for £41.4m to repair the Grade II-listed structure and refurbish the Central Motorway.

The authority said it had to "assess its condition and the scale of works required to finalise the costings".

A spokesperson said: "As we need to inspect the entire span of the bridge, overnight closures may be required on the bridge and roads underneath it, so engineers can complete this work safely."

The Tyne Bridge has had no major maintenance for two decades, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

About 70,000 vehicles cross it each day and it was feared it could be forced to closed to all traffic apart from buses if essential maintenance was not carried out.

The Tyne Bridge is well known as a backdrop to the Great North Run

It is hoped the work will be completed in time for its 100th birthday in 2028, although council chiefs have warned this is in doubt.

The Department for Transport has been considering the funding bid since 2019 and is expected to contribute about £35m, with Newcastle and Gateshead councils providing the rest.

The upgrade would include resurfacing the road, repairing steelwork, concrete and masonry, waterproofing and repainting.

The bridge is expected to be closed between 22:00 BST and 06:00 BST from 13 June to 1 July.

Quayside, Lombard Street, Queen Street and Akenside Hill are due to close between 20:00 BST and 06:00 BST from 16 May to 10 June.

The subsequent maintenance programme is expected to last four years.