A1 at Gateshead will close overnight while footbridge is removed

The blue North Dene footbridge will be removed to make way for extra lanes on the A1

A footbridge over the A1 near Gateshead will be removed by two large cranes at the weekend, it has been announced.

The North Dene Bridge between junctions 65 (Birtley) and 66 (Eighton Lodge) will be lifted away overnight on Saturday.

It has to be dismantled to allow the construction of new lanes where the road is being widened.

A new, longer bridge will be installed when the work on the carriageways is completed.

The work is part of National Highways' Birtley to Coal House improvements which will see the A1 widened to four lanes from three between junctions 65 and 67 southbound.

A 95-tonne crane will be set up on the northbound carriageway while a 200-tonne crane will operate on the southbound.

National Highways project manager Helen Burrow said: "This will give us the space we need to mobilise the cranes and lift the bridge on to trailers in sections to be taken away for recycling.

"We'd like to thank road users for their patience while we close the road, and also pedestrians who will be without a bridge while we carry out this vital scheme, which will reduce congestion, improve safety and boost the regional economy."

The pedestrian footbridge will be replaced once work on widening the road is completed

Engineers hope to remove the bridge in one night if the weather is good from 20:00 BST on Saturday to 06:00 the following morning.

The A1 northbound will be closed from junction 65 (Birtley) to junction 66 (Eighton Lodge), and southbound the road will be shut from junction 69 (Gateshead Quays) to junction 65 (Birtley).

Diversions will be in place.    

Pedestrians have been asked to use the Longbank underpass until a replacement bridge is installed next summer. It is hoped the upgraded road will open to drivers by spring 2025.