Councillors have raised major worries about the delayed refurbishment of the Tyne Bridge – and have warned against repeating mistakes that left it in such an abject state.
It emerged before Christmas that the famous crossing is in an even worse condition than had previously been feared, as it awaits a long overdue restoration. Adding the current inflation crisis to the extra repairs required means that the cost of the much-needed maintenance project is spiralling well above what was planned, while the works have been pushed back to autumn of this year.
A funding package of £41.4m, mostly funded by the Government, to repair both the Tyne Bridge and the Central Motorway was agreed last summer – but council bosses admitted in December that they may have to delay or abandon some of the motorway works to focus on the grade II* listed bridge. At Newcastle City Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday, Lib Dem councillor Nick Cott said the situation was an “urgent issue”.
