Road under flyover in 'no condition' to reopen
BBCThe road beneath a crumbling flyover will be in "no condition" to reopen imminently once its demolition is completed, a local authority has said.
Drivers are warned not to expect the road below the A167 flyover in Gateshead to be back in use after the concrete structure is removed later this year, though a long-term decision on its future is yet to be made.
The flyover was closed to traffic in December 2024 after it was found to be unsafe and work to demolish the ageing structure began in April.
Part of the road which runs directly beneath it has been closed too, between the Park Lane and Five Bridges roundabouts.
While the demolition of the flyover is due to be completed this October, Gateshead Council said it would not mean the remaining road beneath would be able to be put back into use.
'No decision made'
The council said in a response to a Facebook post: "Our contractors tell us the road beneath the flyover will be in no condition to reopen after the demolition is complete.
"Work is ongoing to plan the town centre road system and plan regeneration of the vacant land being created by demolition."
When asked to clarify the council's position on the future of the road beneath the flyover, a spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We've always said that the road beneath the flyover cannot reopen immediately after demolition because of the scale of the works involved, but any suggestion that its longer-term future has been decided is simply wrong."
There have long been hopes removing the flyover could spark a new wave of investment and housebuilding around Gateshead town centre, but no detailed plans have been unveiled.
Former council leader Martin Gannon previously said a new road would not have the same capacity as the flyover did as he did not want it to be used as a "rat run" by people bypassing the town centre to go in and out of Newcastle.
The council's new leader, Reform's Nick Allan, has previously expressed hopes of making changes to Gateshead's road network, with the aim of boosting economic growth and making access to Newcastle easier.
