Redheugh Bridge concrete concerns as crossing becomes latest Tyneside structure in need of repairs
by Daniel Holland · ChronicleLiveThe Redheugh Bridge is the latest piece of critical Tyneside infrastructure where there are fears about crumbling concrete.
After the Gateshead Flyover was shut by council officials following major concerns about its structural integrity, councillors were told on Monday that action is also needed to repair one of the bridges across the Tyne. However, the Redheugh Bridge is not in the same desperate state of disrepair as the flyover and engineers say they are “comfortable” that there is no current danger to the public.
A council report warns that sections of the bridge are suffering from spalling problems, where concrete becomes cracked and fragments break off, and that falling debris could pose a risk. Part of a car park underneath the northern approach to the bridge, which opened in 1983, has had to be cordoned off as a result and local authority engineers say that it could cost more than £1 million to fix up the crossing.
At a meeting of Newcastle and Gateshead’s Joint Bridges Committee on Monday, Newcastle Liberal Democrat councillor Pauline Allen asked how urgent the situation was and what danger it posed to the public. She told the meeting at Gateshead Civic Centre that locals were “all a bit concerned” after the flyover was closed off last Friday night.
A report to the committee says that a special inspection was carried out on the bridge viaduct on the Newcastle side of the bridge in 2023/24 which identified “essential concrete repairs are required” to the support structure found within a car park used by Network Rail and LNER. Council officials confirmed that part of that private car park has had to be blocked off, while cracks have also been seen on the western face of the crossing.
Alastair Swan, principal engineer at Newcastle City Council, replied: “We are comfortable that we have addressed any loose materials present. But the part of the car park is being quarantined until the works are carried out.”
Engineers have also discovered a blocked or damaged drainage pipe that has caused water to build up beneath the main deck of the bridge.
The report states: “The long-term strategy for addressing the concrete spalling issues, drainage, and any other items identified during the principal inspection, is to undertake these works under a single contract. The capital budget required for these works could be in excess of £1,000,000.”
The bridges across the Tyne have suffered from a number of maintenance problems over recent years. The Tyne Bridge is currently undergoing its long-overdue restoration, a year-long project to strengthen the High Level Bridge was completed this summer, and the mechanism that allows the Swing Bridge to rotate open has not worked in more than five years.
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