£15.6m paint job for Tyne Bridge
TYNE BRIDGE WILL RECEIVE £15.6MILLION REVAMP
MAJOR plans have been revealed to repaint and carry out maintenance of the Tyne Bridge, but it will take three years to do – and cost £15.6m.
The proposals involve giving the grade II-listed structure a fresh lick of paint as well as other repair work.
The bridge, which is used by more than 70,000 vehicles a day, is jointly owned by Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council. The proposed work includes: Full grit blasting and repainting of the bridge steelwork
Steelwork and cast iron repairs/ replacement as required
Lighting repairs/replacement as required
Concrete and drainage repairs within the towers Resurfacing Road drainage and joint repairs/ replacement Security improvements Door and window repair/replacement.
The scheme could also involve looking at measures to manage the kittiwake population which roost on the bridge annually.
The repainting itself is set to cost £10m while the bridge resurfacing is set at around £1m.
A report, prepared for the Newcastle and Gateshead joint bridges committee, also says there are plans to submit a bid for cash to the government under its Maintenance Challenge Fund to help towards the project.
Any remaining costs are to be shared by the councils on a population basis, with Newcastle set to fund 58% and Gateshead 42%.
The plan is to carry out all the work over a three-year period. Subject to funding, the job could start in early 2019.
The report, due to be discussed by the committee on Friday, says: “The ongoing maintenance of the bridge is essential to ensure public safety and to ensure that it remains fit for purpose.
“Major maintenance of the bridge was last undertaken between 1999 and 2001 when the bridge deck was repaired, re-waterproofed and re-surfaced. Additionally the steel structure was fully repainted with localised ‘blasting’ being undertaken to deal with deep lying corrosion together with steelwork repairs.
“The cost of the works at the time were in the order of £4m which were funded by the Department for Transport.
“The works undertaken were expected to last 18-20 years and the bridge is now showing noticeable signs of deterioration, particularly with the appearance of corrosion of the steelwork and breakdown of the paint system.”
The councils say they aim to minimise traffic congestion caused by the work, however there are likely to be some bridge closures.