Tyne Bridge restoration reaches new heights
Now work on the main bridge deck is complete, Esh is erecting scaffolding around the parapet to enable repairs and repainting to be carried out on the next section of the landmark.
Referred to as ‘up and overs’, the scaffolding will be installed from the underdeck, reach up the side and over the bridge parapet, onto the footway.
To account for this, a pedestrian tunnel will be constructed on each footway and will be ready for people to use from early 2026.
Esh Construction is carrying out the £35m works on behalf of Newcastle and Gateshead Councils, as part of a four-year repair programme that started in April 2024.
The restoration is funded by the UK Government, the North East Combined Authority, Newcastle City Council, and Gateshead Council.
Once work on the parapets are complete, restoration work will focus on the bridge arch.
So far, more than 350 repairs have been made to Tyne Bridge, with perhaps the most obvious being the application of the Hollybrush Green paint. This will be visible once the scaffolding is dismantled.
More than 2,000 rivets have been replaced and 420 repairs completed in the latest stage of the Tyne Bridge restoration, and overall, 13,000 tonnes of scaffold components will be used.
Cllr Juna Sathian, Newcastle City Council’s cabinet member for transport and climate said: “With all eyes on the Tyne Bridge as part of another successful Great North Run, where the need for the repairs was visible for all to see, it’s great that work will soon move onto this key part of the structure.
“As we’ve set out before, it’s a complicated programme with 20 different phases of scaffolding required, which has been meticulously calculated due to the weight loading, as well as ensuring the bridge remains open for traffic and pedestrians.
“People will soon see for themselves the repairs made to the Newcastle under-arch, as the scaffolding will soon start to come down around the Newcastle quayside which has been repaired and repainted in its distinctive Hollybush Green.
“This is a huge project for the region, with everyone involved hugely passionate to be part of the restoration as we preserve this much-loved icon for future generations.”
Cllr John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said: “The detailed work completed on the bridge structure is so impressive.
“It’s vital that the public understand the complexity and sheer hard work that has gone into this restoration.
“When the programme is complete, we will see the bridge looking fantastic, like new, and it’s the engineering skills and fitting of replacement steel components that are making all that possible.”
Gareth Dawson, senior project manager at Esh, said: “As the repair and repainting work within the Newcastle quayside scaffolding and the underdeck scaffolding heads towards completion, we’re pleased to be moving into the next phase which focuses on the parapets and screen plates.
“In addition to the progress on site, we are continuing our work within the community to create opportunities and deliver a real and lasting impact.
“So far, we have delivered employability and careers initiatives to more than 10,600 students, contributed 650 volunteering hours to local projects and provided 480 weeks of work experience on the scheme.”
