Gateshead Flyover closed with immediate effect.

[Riff]

Immediate closure for Gateshead Highway - Gateshead Council

The A167 Gateshead Highway flyover is being shut to all traffic after an inspection by consultant structural engineers indicated a potential risk to safety if it remains open.

www.gateshead.gov.uk

Very well done Gateshead Council for neglecting this structure for years and spending time converting other roads bus and/or cycle lanes which in turn increased car traffic elsewhere such as the flyover.

This will majorly mess-up people's commutes, businesses, medical appointments etc.

I appreciate safety comes first, but you should at the very least have had a plan B in place. Re-opening some routes back to cars would be a good start!

 

[neonwilderness]

I think they've known about the issues for a while, which is probably why they tried to close the top deck a couple of years back. Either fixing it or removing it is likely to be expensive, so I guess they'll be trying to get central government to pay for it. Hopefully whatever happens they'll take the opportunity to sort out the mess of traffic lights between Park Lane and the Tyne Bridge so things flow better.

The A1 should finally be finished soon, which will take some pressure off.

I wonder if the Central Motorway is suffering from the same issues as I think it was all built around the same time

 

[not henry]

I suggest you buy a horse and set off two days earlier. I thought it was only the London folks that had this sort of aggravation

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

Bicycle shurely?
There is a monument in Carlisle to a vicar who rode to London on a bicycle in 24 hours.
Before the invention of tarmac or motorways or electric bikes.