Visions of Toon bridges that would never come to pass

THE Chronicle recently reported on the intriguing possibility that a new footbridge might be built across the River Tyne.

- By DAVID MORTON

Some of the bridges on the Tyne - but there might have been other crossings linking Newcastle and Gateshead

Images released by Newcastle City Council reveal a vision for a riverside development called Forth Yards, which over the next 20 years would see 2,500 new homes built west of the city centre.

The proposals include the potential for a new footbridge connecting Newcastle and Gateshead. The pedestrian crossing would be located next to the Redheugh Bridge, offering a new connection across the river at the western end of the Quayside. Only time will tell whether plans for the bridge might ever see the light of day.

Indeed, here we recall a selection of River Tyne crossings that would have been part of a very different Newcastle and Gateshead riverscape, but never made it past the drawing board.

It's 25 years since the Gateshead Millennium Bridge arrived on the River Tyne.