Redheugh Bridge

Redheugh Bridge
Redheugh Bridge, photographed from the north side at Newcastle from the Metro Radio Arena
Carries	Motor vehicle A189 road Pedestrians
Crosses	River Tyne
Locale	Newcastle/Gateshead, England
Characteristics
Total length	897m
Width	15.8m
History
Opened	18 May 1983

The Redheugh Bridge /ˈrɛdjʊf/ is a road bridge spanning the River Tyne west of Newcastle upon Tyne centre on the North Bank and Gateshead centre on the South Bank, in North East England. It currently carries the A189 road.

In 1860 builder Richard Cail proposed a rail and road bridge at Redheugh with the rail deck below the road level – the reverse of the High Level Bridge. The North Eastern Railway showed little interest so Cail decided to press ahead with a road bridge.

The first Redheugh Bridge was opened on 1 May 1871 engineered by Thomas Bouch who was also the designer of the ill-fated first Tay Bridge in Scotland (see Tay Bridge disaster).

It was a slender construction supported by three piers. The road deck was 30 metres above river level with a footpath at either side. Construction was hindered by delays in the delivery of materials, due to poor access roads, and the scarcity of skilled labour. By as early as 1885 serious structural faults began to emerge and inspections concluded that repairs would cost more than a new bridge, and so it was replaced.

Replacement commenced in 1897 with the new bridge being built by Sir William Arrol & Co. around the old structure. Once again process was hindered by delays in materials and an inadequate work force. By 1900 the main girders and spans were in place and, ingeniously, hydraulic jacks were used to inch along the newly built superstructure until it rested on the previously constructed piers. The remains of the old structure were removed and the bridge was opened in August 1901. However, by the 1960s serious design flaws once again became apparent. Speed restrictions of 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) and weight restrictions of between 8 and 10 tonnes hindered the traffic flow and engineers stated that, if it remained in use for much longer, the approaches and superstructure would need to be rebuilt. It was seen as more economical to build a new crossing.