Concrete action called for on repairs to bridge

COUNCILLORS have called for rapid progress to deal with crumbling concrete on the Redheugh Bridge, amid ongoing concerns about its safety.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

> Councillors yesterday asked for issues affecting the Redheugh Bridge to be addressed quickly

Just days after the closure of the Gateshead Flyover 12 months ago, it emerged that council bosses also held fears over the state of the Redheugh Bridge.

The crossing, the westernmost of the seven central bridges over the Tyne connecting Newcastle and Gateshead, is now the subject of an ongoing inspection to determine exactly what repairs are needed to deal with cracks and several areas of flaking concrete.

While local authority officials remain confident that the bridge does not pose an imminent danger to the public, councillors asked yesterday for a swift resolution.

Speaking at a meeting of Newcastle and Gateshead’s Joint Tyne Bridges Committee, Liberal Democrat Pauline Allen said: "We are talking about safety and it is not something we can be careless about.