Swing Bridge works 'finally moving in right direction'

THE restoration of Newcastle's Swing Bridge is "finally moving in the right direction" despite it looking set to remain broken for its 150th anniversary, an MP believes.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

The Victorian landmark has not successfully swung open since 2019 and it emerged last week that efforts to repair its turning mechanism look highly unlikely to bear fruit before the bridge's milestone date next summer.

Newcastle Central and West MP Dame Chi Onwurah has been leading calls to fix the river crossing designed by William Armstrong, which has opened around 300,000 times in its history to allow larger boats to travel up the Tyne and was the world's largest swinging bridge when it opened in 1876. While bosses last week faced accusations of "neglecting" a structure renowned as an industrial marvel of the Victorian age, the Labour MP says she is now hopeful of progress.

Having sought international expertise on how to repair the malfunctioning bridge and recently meeting with heritage minister Baroness Twycross to discuss its plight, Dame Chi said: "I have been campaigning to get the Swing Bridge swinging again for years now. We have had great interest from engineering companies from across the world, but very little progress under the Tories because there was no real support for industrial heritage.