Tyne Bridge restoration work starts

Work to restore the Tyne Bridge will start on Monday - the day after thousands of runners crossed the landmark in the Great North Run.

Planning consent was approved earlier this year for the work, which could take up to four years to complete.

Council bosses say initial works will have "minimal impact" on the public as scaffolding will be below the bridge deck on the Gateshead side.

Major disruption is expected in early-2024 as two traffic lanes will be shut.

The prospect of reducing the current four lanes to one lane in each direction on a key route into Newcastle city centre - carrying around 70,000 vehicles a day - has prompted fears of traffic chaos lasting for several years.

Due to the scale and level of disruption expected when works move to the main bridge deck in 2024, Newcastle and Gateshead councils say they are looking at a number of ways to ease disruption, including promoting detours and improving public transport.

It is expected mitigation measures will be announced by the authorities "later in the autumn".

Government funding to fix the rusting Grade II*-listed structure was confirmed last year, after repeated warnings from the region's leaders about its increasingly dilapidated state.

Since then, it emerged the bridge was in an even worse condition than first thought, meaning repairs could take up to four years to complete.

Inflation rates have also contributed to the cost of the scheme jumping by an estimated £12m, to a total of £32.6m.

The works were delayed until the Tyne's large colony of kittiwakes, which nest on the bridge, had departed for the year.

Ledges dubbed "kittiwake hotels" will be built into the scaffolding around the bridge towers ahead of the next breeding season.

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp said: "This is a very complex and challenging programme - with many constraints we need to work around to protect the heritage of the bridge, manage disruption to traffic and ensure the kittiwakes are protected."

As well as a full repaint of the rusted bridge, contractors Esh will also be looking at critical structural repairs, including steel and concrete fixes, drainage improvements, stonework and masonry repairs, waterproofing and resurfacing, parapet protection, and bridge joint replacement.

It will be the first time since 2001 the Tyne Bridge has undergone a major maintenance programme.

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon added: "We're going to need everyone in the region who loves the bridge to do their bit to help us minimise the disruption that the restoration will cause to the transport network.

"It will be a proud day when our Tyne Bridge is restored to its former glory, ready for its centenary [in 2028]."

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].