Another year to rust
ICONIC TYNE BRIDGE DEEMED AN ‘EYESORE’ AS IT FACES ANOTHER YEAR OF NEGLECT
THE iconic Tyne Bridge faces yet another year of being left to rack and ruin.
It is arguably the most recognisable symbol of Newcastle and the North East, but the historic crossing currently resembles a rusted “eyesore”.
Council bosses on either side of the Tyne are still yet to secure the millions of pounds needed to restore the bridge to its rightful glory, three years after they first revealed “essential” plans for a major maintenance project to combat its sad deterioration.
It has now been confirmed that no works are expected to take place in 2021, leaving the 92-year-old structure in its shabby condition for at least another 12 months.
Council officials now hope to start the three-year renovation project in 2022, subject to funding being secured and a specialist contractor being appointed to repaint the bridge and carry out other overdue fixes.
A £40m bid to refurbish both the Tyne Bridge and the Central Motorway was submitted to the Government via Transport for the North in summer 2019.
Transport bosses are anxiously awaiting word of whether the bid to the £3.5bn Major Road Network (MRN) fund has been successful, but “remain hopeful” of good news.
In response to questioning from Lib Dem councillor Pauline Allen, Newcastle City Council principal engineer Alastair Swan told Newcastle and Gateshead councils’ Joint Bridges Committee on Thursday: “In regards to works in 2021, no I don’t envisage anything as we have not had approval of the funding yet.
“I would like to think we would get a decision by the end of this financial year and then progress to developing the scheme for tender.”
Newcastle City Council’s Labour cabinet member for transport Arlene Ainsley raised fears that the Government was “looking again” at its commitment to the MRN fund, after a recent report raised fears for its future.
Mr Swan said he was not aware of any change, adding: “We continue to monitor the bridge on a regular basis to check for any deterioration which could be structural or a health and safety risk. We do carry out reactive maintenance if we identify anything.
“At this time there are no health and safety risks associated with the condition of the bridge, but it does continue to deteriorate.
“The previous works were carried out in 99/00 and the life span was 18 years, so we are slightly beyond where we wanted to be.
“We had hoped to get funding two or three years ago, but on the back of austerity and other issues there were no pots available to bid to. This Major Road Network bid is a suitable pot to receive funding from and we are still hopeful because we have been shortlisted that we will get some positive response from Government in the near future.”
Committee chair Coun John McElroy said the bridge work “has to be done, there is no alternative”.
The Department for Transport said it was “in continued discussions” over the Tyne Bridge and awaiting a business case from the council, which Mr Swan would be submitted “shortly”.
A DfT spokesman added: “Decisions on funding for MRN schemes will be taken on a scheme by scheme basis.”
Coun Greg Stone, Newcastle Lib Dems’ transport spokesman, said the Tyne Bridge is currently an “eyesore”.
He added: “Clearly there is a big problem over whether they can get the funding in place, even in the next decade.
“They [the councils] need to do something about this and it is not clear what the solution is.”
Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes has previously stated that he wants the bridge back to its best in time for its 100th anniversary in 2028 at the latest.
The maintenance would include steelwork repairs, extensive repainting, stonework and masonry repairs, waterproofing, and bridge joint replacement, among other fixes.
There are also separate plans to reduce the number of traffic lanes on the bridge as part of proposals for a Clean Air Zone in the city.