Gateshead Flyover Closure

National World - LocalTV

It’s been nearly a week since the Gateshead Flyover was immediately closed over major structural safety concerns. I spoke with members of the public about their views on the closure and how it’s impacting their daily commutes.

Transcript

00:00Plans had first been unveiled by the Labour-led council in 2008 to replace the flyover with

00:05a tree-lined boulevard.

00:07Council papers show that there were plans in 2019 to bid for government funding to remove

00:10the flyover.

00:11However, the £18 million scheme wasn't awarded money from the Highway Maintenance

00:15Challenge Fund.

00:16I spoke with members of the public to see if the closure has affected their day-to-day

00:20lives and how they think the closure is being handled.

00:23Yes, I've heard about the problems with the flyover at Gateshead, but it's been like that

00:28for many years now.

00:31The government has just consistently failed to put in the funding that's been requested

00:35by Gateshead Council.

00:37There's a chance that they might be looking at it this time possibly, Department for Transport,

00:41but who knows.

00:42But it's such a main artery that it causes chaos, especially with the Tyne Bridge being

00:46the way it is now.

00:48So yeah, it does cause problems.

00:50Not for me so much because I get the Metro often, but it's just a shame that they keep

00:55doing this.

00:56The government does this to Gateshead quite a lot.

00:58I don't know what choice they've got but to do something to repair and reopen it because

01:03where would all that traffic go?

01:04It's a phenomenal volume of traffic that goes over there.

01:06I was surprised when I read the report.

01:08I couldn't believe.

01:09I used to commute over there every day when I worked at the far side of Gateshead and

01:14worked for Gateshead Council.

01:16So without that, getting from this side of the Tyne right through to the west side of

01:22Gateshead would be just a nightmare journey, really, just all small roads.

01:27I saw that the Gateshead fire was closed, I think, on the Chronicle last week and it

01:31really annoyed me considering that the Tyne Bridge is already at one lane.

01:34It's already a nightmare trying to cross the bridge.

01:37And I live down the quayside near St Peter's Basin and trying to get into work is already

01:41an absolute hassle because I work on the other side of the river.

01:44So I'm really annoyed the traffic is just going to be a lot worse and it's affected

01:48pretty much everyone at our work on the other side of the river.

01:51I don't know if it will ever reopen.

01:53It would be nice if it does.

01:54I mean, in a way, it's good that it might encourage more people to car share and use

01:58their bikes and things.

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