South Tyneside motorists get Newcastle route delay update
South Tyneside motorists have been given an update on demolition work to their main route into Newcastle city centre.
A major update has been issued on work to demolish the Gateshead flyover - South Tyneside motorists’ main route into Newcastle city centre.
Gateshead Council has confirmed work to take down the flyover has officially begun. The structure closed in December 2024 after inspections revealed significant safety concerns and structural risks. Engineers found issues such as water retention, flooding and damaged concrete.
Updating travellers, a council statement said: “The excavators bringing down the Gateshead Highway flyover have broken through the whole of the first span they are working on. So an east-west view, from ground level up to the sky, has been opened up for the first time in decades.
“What you can see working day-to-day on the demolition is what we’re calling ‘munchers’. They work by using ‘mechanical jaws’ to gradually crush through the concrete and steel structure.”
A timeline for completion is yet to be announced, but is expected to take six months. The flyover will be replace with a new, ground-level road network called The Boulevard.
Great North Run organisers will hope the area is prepared by September when 60,000 runners head past the flyover as part of the route between Newcastle and South Shields.
The full cost of the demolition is expected to reach up to £18m with the North East Combined Authority contributing £2.5m.