Tyne Bridge restoration funding finally confirmed as Government signs off £35m after delay saga

  • Kris Jepson was in Newcastle to get the latest update on the long-awaited plans to restore the Tyne Bridge

More than £35 million of funding for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge has finally been signed off by the Government.

Ministers confirmed that the Department for Transport (DfT) will pay for the bulk of the North East icon’s desperately-needed repairs – delivering on a pledge that was originally made in summer 2022.

Roads minister Guy Opperman, the Conservative MP for Hexham, said: “Today is an historic day for Newcastle and the North East. Our £35 million boost will restore the Tyne Bridge in all its glory so that it can shine proudly as one of the UK’s most iconic  landmarks.”

The announcement comes after weeks of angst over the long wait for the money.

It is now hoped that engineers can start work on the main phase of the landmark crossing’s first major maintenance since 2001.

The scheme will require two of the bridge’s four lanes of traffic to be shut for up to four years.

Labour’s Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah said that the bridge repairs needed to start “as fast as possible so that it is done in time for its 100th birthday and with minimum disruption for all who use it."

Concerns were raised in December 2023 that the money had not materialised, just weeks before work was expected to begin. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

DfT announced on 2 February 2024 that it would be providing £35.2 million to go towards the total £41.4 million costs of restoring the Tyne Bridge, as well as making improvements on the Central Motorway.

Some initial works on the bridge’s long-awaited repairs began last autumn, funded by Newcastle and Gateshead councils, but the main phase of the project has been dependent on the Government stumping up its majority share of the cash.

It led to Tyneside politicians accusing Whitehall decision-makers of “crass neglect” that risked leaving the bridge to deteriorate further.

While local council chiefs have insisted that their full business case for the grade II* listed crossing’s makeover had been sat awaiting Government approval since last July, the DfT has claimed it did not receive all the necessary documentation until more recently.

The department said: “After receiving the final supporting information from the councils in late November 2023, the department was then able to start to fully assess and progress the business case – as is the usual process, working quickly to approve the funding for the maintenance works to start as soon as possible.”

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp said it was “simply not the case” that local authority officials had been late submitting paperwork to the Government, but that they would now “push on with our plans to see it fully restored in time for its centenary”.

“While we welcome the news that this funding is now in place, we have had to campaign hard for the funding to be released."

Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah added: “It’s great that the Tories have finally pulled their finger out, but why make us wait so long? It just goes to show that the Government cannot be trusted with our critical infrastructure.”

The vital upgrades hopes to reduce congestion, improve journey times and grow the economy. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees.

The repairs will include a full repaint of the bridge as well as a number of essential structural fixes – including to steelwork, concrete, masonry, drainage, and street lighting.

Councils have warned that delays to the engineering works would mean that the project might not be completed in time for the bridge’s centenary, and that another Great North Run and nesting season for the Quayside’s kittiwakes will be disrupted.

The Government said that the restoration will generate £90 million in economic benefits for the North East. 

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