A Metro bridge which serves one of the network’s busiest routes between Newcastle and North Tyneside will be completely replaced this summer to create more space for better bus links and road freight to North Shields Fish Quay. The Tanners Bank bridge, which is located on the Metro line between Tynemouth and North Shields, is to be removed to allow an entirely new bridge to be constructed in its place.
North Tyneside Council and Nexus are working in partnership to improve this key road into the Fish Quay as part of the council’s wider North Shields regeneration plan, as well as making sure the Metro can run smoothly for decades to come. The project, funded through a £2.7m grant from the Department for Transport’s Highways Challenge Fund, £300,000 from the Metro Asset Renewal Programme, and £103,000 from North Tyneside Council, will see clearance beneath the bridge raised to allow large HGVs and double decker buses to get to and from the fish quay.
The bridge work will take place during a 14-day major line closure from July 16 – 29. A replacement bus for Metro passengers will be made available during this period. Nexus, the public body which owns and manages the Tyne and Wear Metro, has said the Tanners Bank bridge needs to be replaced due to its age. The current structure dates back to the Victorian era, on a line opened in 1839 and is said to have been the world’s first commuter line.
