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Flyover demolition 'passes' halfway point

Tom MacDougallNorth East and Cumbria
Gateshead Council The edge of the flyover, which is being demolished bit by bit, revealing the jagged edge of the thick, concrete structure, suspending in the air. Steel posts stick out in all directions, like the end of a frayed rope, which run through the concrete to reinforce it. Beneath the bridge is earthy ground, surrounded by a chainlink fence.Gateshead Council
Fifteen of the 27 spans which made up the bridge have been removed, the council says

Work to bring down a major flyover bridge is halfway complete, according to a council.

Gateshead flyover was shut suddenly at the end of 2024 over concerns it could collapse, with the demolition starting in April this year.

Gateshead Council said 15 of the 27 spans which made up the bridge had been removed, with the Five Bridges roundabout reopening, the High West Street bus lane returning to being buses only, and the tri-star footbridges partially opening again.

It estimated the weight of the rubble was now equivalent to 64 Angel of the North statues or 3,375 elephants.

The 0.6-mile (0.95km) A167 flyover was carrying about 40,000 vehicles a day at the time of its closure.

But the 1960s structure was found to have issues with drainage, resulting in water seeping through it, and the concrete was crumbling away.

Gateshead Council A shot of a road which formerly intersected underneath the bridge - which is no longer there. However, the distressed ground acts as a shadow of where it used to cut through the grassy spaces either side of the road. The road itself, which has dusty tyre tracks running across it, has a line of orange and white cones evenly spaced down the middle, dividing the two lanes.Gateshead Council
The 1960s structure was closed after being deemed at risk of collapse due to deterioration

The estimated £18m demolition, approved last year, was estimated to take six months and be complete in October.

Road closures have caused congestion for commuters, with the Park Lane roundabout due to shut at the end of July for several weeks.

One of the project leaders from construction company Bam, Jim Smyth, previously called it "the most complicated demolition project going on in the country at the minute".

The council has said the road beneath the flyover will be in "no condition" to immediately reopen after the demolition is complete, although no decision has been made about its long-term future.

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