Road closures for the Great North 5k in Newcastle have been confirmed, with the event taking place on Friday, September 11 as a curtain raiser to the 2026 Great North Run.
The 5k, which starts on the Quayside, will see runners follow the River Tyne past the Tyne Bridge before crossing the Swing Bridge into Gateshead. The route continues along Pipewellgate and past landmarks including the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and Redheugh Bridge, before turning back towards the city and crossing the Millennium Bridge to return to the Newcastle side of the river.
Full list of road closures
To keep everyone safe and allow the event to run smoothly, a number of road closures will be in place throughout Friday only, unless otherwise stated:
- Sandhill: from 3-9pm
- Swing Bridge: from 3-9pm
- Close: from 5-9pm
- Bottle Bank: from 3-9pm (access to Hilton hotel only)
- Pipewellgate: from 3-9pm
- South Shore Road and Hillgate: from 3-9pm
Closures lasting into Saturday
Two closures will extend beyond Friday. Quayside Road will be closed from 2pm on Friday until 8pm on Saturday, and the NC14 Cycle Way will be closed from 3pm on Friday until 7pm on Saturday.
The Great North 5k is one of several Great Run events taking place in Newcastle over the weekend. The Junior and Mini Runs are scheduled for Saturday, ahead of the main Great North Run, which sees tens of thousands of runners take on the 13.1 mile route from just outside Newcastle city centre to the coast in South Shields. For those not taking part or cheering from the roadside, live BBC coverage will broadcast the event.
