Government 'willing' to talk over bridge repairs
BBCThe government is "willing" to talk to Tyneside councils about how to pay for repairs to crumbling concrete on the Redheugh Bridge, a minister says.
The bridge, which spans the River Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead, is also suffering from a blocked or damaged drainage pipe.
Highways officials estimate the problems could cost more than £1m to fix.
A recent meeting of the Gateshead Newcastle joint bridge committee heard how cracks could "pose a risk to the public and Network Rail users beneath the bridge", although engineers are "comfortable" the structure poses no danger at this stage.
A report presented to councillors in December warned sections of the bridge, which opened in 1983, were known to suffer from spalling, where concrete becomes cracked and fragments break off.
A section of a car park underneath the crossing, used by Network Rail and LNER, has been closed as a precaution, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Budget funding
When asked by the Bishop of Newcastle whether the Department for Transport (DfT) intended to pay for a refurbishment of the bridge, Transport Minister Lord Hendy said the department was "always willing" to discuss what support could be offered.
In a written response to a question tabled in the House of Lords by the Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Lord Hendy said Newcastle and Gateshead councils were responsible for the maintenance of the bridge through the joint committee.
He added: "The department does not hold a central contingency fund to pay for repairs of this sort but is always willing to discuss with individual highway authorities what support might be available."
He went on to say Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an extra £500m for highway maintenance in the Budget, with the North East Combined Authority receiving "an additional £21.7m".
Lord Hendy said it would be a matter for the North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, "to determine how to allocate this funding".
There have been major questions in recent months over the future of key transport scheme across the North East.
Labour has axed the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland, cut a funding allocation to County Durham by £50m and is yet to commit to the promised final £6m for the Tyne Bridge's restoration.
The future of the Gateshead Flyover also remains unclear.