Flyover travel plea as traffic expected to rise

Gateshead Council A large red metal structure props up the grey concrete flyover road. The equipment is surrounded by grey fencing.Gateshead Council
A temporary prop was installed under the Gateshead flyover earlier this week

Commuters have been urged to avoid the area around a flyover which was closed last month over safety fears.

Gateshead Highway closed suddenly on 13 December after investigations revealed the 1960s structure was unsafe.

People have been asked to avoid travelling at peak times if possible, especially as commuters return to work in bigger numbers from Monday.

Diversions around the structure will remain in place for roads users and pedestrians.

A temporary industrial prop was successfully installed under the flyover on 30 December, allowing Tyne and Wear Metro services to resume through the tunnel beneath.

The pillar will be encased in more concrete as a "medium term solution" with work expected to start in January, Gateshead Council said.

Diversions, including taking A167 traffic to the west of the flyover, around Gateshead Civic Centre, will remain in place.

The authority added it was continuing to work to gain the necessary funding to demolish the unsafe structure.

The Gateshead flyover with cars travelling upwards on to it.
Gateshead Council's leader said he would keep up the pressure to get funding to demolish the flyover

Plans to remove and replace the flyover date back at least as far as 2008.

Despite what Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon described as "numerous" bids for Government funding, no money was allocated.

Gannon added: "We will be keeping up the pressure to get funding in place.

"This challenging situation has given the opportunity to speed up the revitalisation of our town and we need to ensure this happens."

Additional reporting by Austen Shakespeare, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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