Demolition of flyover earmarked for autumn
LDRSWork to start tearing down a flyover is set to start in the autumn, council bosses have said.
The A167 Gateshead Highway was closed in December due to safety concerns and it has since been earmarked for demolition.
The 1960s-built route, which previously carried about 40,000 vehicles a day, should see preliminary removal work begin in June.
Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon said "something radical" was needed "to make a real difference to Gateshead's future and the prosperity of its residents".
The Labour-led authority formally agreed in March the flyover should go, allowing for a wider town centre regeneration, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"The flyover is an eyesore and isn't a structure that we need any more in terms of transport," said Gannon.
"We are taking the opportunity this closure has presented us with, to demolish the flyover, helping us make Gateshead and the town centre attractive for residents and businesses, as well as for visitors - and for investors."
In March, Gannon said the flyover would be "gone within a year, for definite", while the council provisionally earmarked £18m for the works.
It is also planning a campaign encouraging people to shop in the town centre. This is in response to high street traders having warned the disruption caused by the flyover closure risked killing off local businesses.
The flyover's closure also sparked a festive travel crisis on Tyneside, with underground Metro services having to be suspended due to fears it could collapse.
Repairs have since been carried out to encase two failing pillars in new concrete, thereby reinforcing the structure.
Council chiefs have held ambitions of removing the flyover since 2008, replacing it with a tree-lined boulevard and new housing and job opportunities.
But those plans have never before had the funding to proceed and there have been repeated warnings that such future development will be reliant on government support.