Bridge defects may take longer to fix

It could take until spring 2026 or longer to fix defects on a newly-built motorway bridge that is causing ongoing disruption on a congested stretch of the A1.

- DANIEL HOLLAND Local democracy reporter

The new Allerdene Bridge was constructed as part of National Highways’ £220 million road widening project on the Birtley to Coal House section of the A1, near Gateshead.

But it emerged last year that it was one of a number of structures suffering from welding defects that steelwork contractor Severfield has reported to authorities.

Those problems have meant that National Highways has been unable to fully remove long-running roadworks which have been frustrating drivers since 2021, despite the rest of the upgrades being finished. The 3,400-tonne road bridge runs over the East Coast Main Line and was opened in September 2023, but there are still lane closures in force to restrict the amount of vehicles running over it - sparking complaints that it has become a bottleneck as traffic is funnelled into the narrower section of the motorway.