The Tyne Bridge will be completely closed for 10 days later this month, with warnings of major disruption on the North East's roads during the October school holidays. It comes ahead of a key next phase in the restoration of the iconic bridge, which is about to reach its most visually striking phase.
The bridge will close to all vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists from 11pm on Friday, October 23 until 5am on Monday, November 2. Newcastle City Council said it had planned the 10-day closure to coincide with the October half-term break, when there should be fewer cars on the road at peak times.
Disruption warnings and advice
But they have warned that surrounding routes in Newcastle, Gateshead, and the wider region will be “significantly busier than usual”. People have been advised to use public transport where possible, with drivers told to avoid central Tyneside and instead use the A1, Tyne Tunnel and Scotswood Bridge to cross the Tyne.
The closure will allow contractors Esh, who are carrying out the £39 million refurbishment of the grade II* listed structure, to erect new scaffolding needed to allow the repair works to move up to the bridge's famous arch from early next year. Once built, the scaffold will create a tunnel through which traffic can safely pass while the arch is repaired and repainted.
Further overnight closures
A series of extra overnight closures are expected on the bridge in November to complete the scaffolding works, though there would still be access for pedestrians and cyclists during this phase. They are scheduled from Monday to Friday for each of the four weeks in November, from 8pm until 6am, though it is not known at this stage whether all of those dates will be required.
The bridge's refurbishment began in 2024 and remains on schedule to be completed ahead of its planned 100th anniversary celebrations in October 2028. As well as a full repaint of the bridge in its traditional hollybush green, the works have included steelwork repairs, waterproofing, and the removal of tonnes of bird droppings.
