Tyne Bridge restoration - a look back at 2025
Over the last 12 months, major progress has been made on the restoration of the Tyne Bridge, with the multi-million-pound project remaining on schedule for completion ahead of its centenary in October 2028.
The year began with the official opening of the information hub on Lombard Street in Newcastle for people to drop-in and learn more about the restoration project. As well as welcoming visitors, the facility is also used for educational visits and to host special events related to the restoration.
Work also began at the start of the year on the steelwork below the bridge deck, adjacent to the Newcastle tower, where almost 100 years of paint was grit blasted back to bare steel, over 350 repairs were made, with 1,200 rivets replaced and the three coat paint system applied with its distinctive Hollybush Green top coat. This work was completed this autumn and people are starting to see this newly painted underarch as the scaffolding is gradually dismantled.
January also saw major progress made, well ahead of the original programme, with the scaffolding below the bridge deck installed to start grit blasting, steelwork repairs and painting on steelwork across the river span. This major section of work is now complete.
In March, another major milestone was achieved with strengthening works to the bridge's eastern hangers completed, which allowed a traffic switchover so restoration could begin on the western footway, with pedestrians and cyclists using the east footway.
April marked one year on site, with leaders Councillor Martin Gannon, from Gateshead Council and Councillor Karen Kilgour from Newcastle City Council joining Esh chief executive Andy Radcliffe on site for a tour to see the major progress of the first 12 months.
In June, the councils welcomed the outstanding £6.3m funding which was confirmed by the North East Mayor Kim McGuiness. The councils had long-campaigned for this vital funding due to its importance to the cost-pressures facing this major restoration project.
Following another successful Great North Run, where the Tyne Bridge continued to play a key role in this major sporting event, work began to install scaffolding over the bridge's parapets to allow restoration work to begin on this next section of the bridge.
The scaffolding, termed as the 'up and overs' was successfully installed over a three-month period on both the west and east footways. Grit blasting, repairs and painting are underway on the west parapet and curved screen plates, before switching to the east footway next year. Pedestrian walkways have been installed to allow safe access for people crossing the bridge while this phase of work is carried out.
Councillor John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said:
"This is such a vital project for Tyneside and the whole of the North East region.
"It's been great having the opportunity to see the restoration work up close, and speak to the team delivering all the repairs and painting, and seeing how tough it is for them to work in often confined spaces.
"We're also delighted to see how much of the budget is being spent locally, so not only do we get our famous bridge back in first class condition, we also see wider benefits for our communities."
Councillor Juna Sathian, cabinet member for transport and climate at Newcastle City Council said:
"2025 was another impressive year for the teams working on the Tyne Bridge and I have enjoyed being on site to see the progress for myself.
"What is also wonderful about this project is the passion and commitment from everyone involved who are so proud to be working on the defining symbol of the North East.
"As well as restoring an icon to its former glory, I am also proud of the social value element, which is keeping money in the local economy, boosting local businesses, inspiring young people to be the next generation of engineers, providing people with a fantastic start to their career by working on the iconic Tyne Bridge, as well as supporting our local communities through charity donations. It is all these elements together which makes the restoration of the Tyne Bridge so special."
Steven Garrigan, Divisional Director at Esh Construction, said:
"It has been another successful year on the Tyne Bridge restoration as we continue to meet the target programme and make further strides towards fully repairing the structure for future generations.
"As a local contractor, we have a deep understanding of the region which enables us to maximise the impact of our social value initiatives within the local community. We have already surpassed our targets set for the whole project by more than 300% and remain committed to creating further opportunities in 2026 and beyond."
2026 will be another big year, with works due to be completed on the west parapets, with the final top coat of Hollybush Green being applied. Restoration works will then begin on the east footway, as pedestrians will switch to using the west footway in late January.
Scaffolding below the bridge deck will also start to be dismantled, and people will soon see for themselves the transformation to this section of the bridge. All repairs and painting works will be complete from the carriageway down to the quayside and the up and over scaffolding along with Newcastle quayside protection deck will be removed.
The scaffolding will also begin on the bridge deck in Autumn 2026 to create a protection deck above the carriageway, this will pave the way for works to begin on the main bridge arch in 2027.
But the Tyne Bridge restoration is not just about preserving a Grade II* listed structure for future generations and maintaining a major gateway to the city. It is also about leaving a lasting legacy through the delivery of social value, which aims to have a positive impact felt by communities, through skills development, community engagement and both employing and procuring locally.
To date, the restoration project has created nearly 80 full-time jobs for local residents, including nine for those who were previously unemployed. More than 288 apprentice training weeks have been completed on the scheme by Newcastle and Gateshead residents.
To raise aspirations and encourage young people to consider a career in construction in the future, almost 10,500 students and school children have been engaged with through Esh's bespoke social value programmes. Local charities have also benefited from the scheme with £10,350 of donations made.
The programme remains on schedule and is expected to be complete in time for the bridge's centenary in 2028.
The Tyne Bridge multi-million-pound restoration is funded by the UK Government, as well as monies from the North East Combined Authority, Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council.
Over the last 12 months, major progress has been made on the restoration of the Tyne Bridge, with the multi-million-pound project remaining on schedule for completion ahead of its centenary in October 2028.
The year began with the official opening of the information hub on Lombard Street in Newcastle for people to drop-in and learn more about the restoration project. As well as welcoming visitors, the facility is also used for educational visits and to host special events related to the restoration.
Work also began at the start of the year on the steelwork below the bridge deck, adjacent to the Newcastle tower, where almost 100 years of paint was grit blasted back to bare steel, over 350 repairs were made, with 1,200 rivets replaced and the three coat paint system applied with its distinctive Hollybush Green top coat. This work was completed this autumn and people are starting to see this newly painted underarch as the scaffolding is gradually dismantled.
January also saw major progress made, well ahead of the original programme, with the scaffolding below the bridge deck installed to start grit blasting, steelwork repairs and painting on steelwork across the river span. This major section of work is now complete.
In March, another major milestone was achieved with strengthening works to the bridge's eastern hangers completed, which allowed a traffic switchover so restoration could begin on the western footway, with pedestrians and cyclists using the east footway.
April marked one year on site, with leaders Councillor Martin Gannon, from Gateshead Council and Councillor Karen Kilgour from Newcastle City Council joining Esh chief executive Andy Radcliffe on site for a tour to see the major progress of the first 12 months.
In June, the councils welcomed the outstanding £6.3m funding which was confirmed by the North East Mayor Kim McGuiness. The councils had long-campaigned for this vital funding due to its importance to the cost-pressures facing this major restoration project.
Following another successful Great North Run, where the Tyne Bridge continued to play a key role in this major sporting event, work began to install scaffolding over the bridge's parapets to allow restoration work to begin on this next section of the bridge.
The scaffolding, termed as the 'up and overs' was successfully installed over a three-month period on both the west and east footways. Grit blasting, repairs and painting are underway on the west parapet and curved screen plates, before switching to the east footway next year. Pedestrian walkways have been installed to allow safe access for people crossing the bridge while this phase of work is carried out.
Councillor John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said:
"This is such a vital project for Tyneside and the whole of the North East region.
"It's been great having the opportunity to see the restoration work up close, and speak to the team delivering all the repairs and painting, and seeing how tough it is for them to work in often confined spaces.
"We're also delighted to see how much of the budget is being spent locally, so not only do we get our famous bridge back in first class condition, we also see wider benefits for our communities."
Councillor Juna Sathian, cabinet member for transport and climate at Newcastle City Council said:
"2025 was another impressive year for the teams working on the Tyne Bridge and I have enjoyed being on site to see the progress for myself.
"What is also wonderful about this project is the passion and commitment from everyone involved who are so proud to be working on the defining symbol of the North East.
"As well as restoring an icon to its former glory, I am also proud of the social value element, which is keeping money in the local economy, boosting local businesses, inspiring young people to be the next generation of engineers, providing people with a fantastic start to their career by working on the iconic Tyne Bridge, as well as supporting our local communities through charity donations. It is all these elements together which makes the restoration of the Tyne Bridge so special."
Steven Garrigan, Divisional Director at Esh Construction, said:
"It has been another successful year on the Tyne Bridge restoration as we continue to meet the target programme and make further strides towards fully repairing the structure for future generations.
"As a local contractor, we have a deep understanding of the region which enables us to maximise the impact of our social value initiatives within the local community. We have already surpassed our targets set for the whole project by more than 300% and remain committed to creating further opportunities in 2026 and beyond."
2026 will be another big year, with works due to be completed on the west parapets, with the final top coat of Hollybush Green being applied. Restoration works will then begin on the east footway, as pedestrians will switch to using the west footway in late January.
Scaffolding below the bridge deck will also start to be dismantled, and people will soon see for themselves the transformation to this section of the bridge. All repairs and painting works will be complete from the carriageway down to the quayside and the up and over scaffolding along with Newcastle quayside protection deck will be removed.
The scaffolding will also begin on the bridge deck in Autumn 2026 to create a protection deck above the carriageway, this will pave the way for works to begin on the main bridge arch in 2027.
But the Tyne Bridge restoration is not just about preserving a Grade II* listed structure for future generations and maintaining a major gateway to the city. It is also about leaving a lasting legacy through the delivery of social value, which aims to have a positive impact felt by communities, through skills development, community engagement and both employing and procuring locally.
To date, the restoration project has created nearly 80 full-time jobs for local residents, including nine for those who were previously unemployed. More than 288 apprentice training weeks have been completed on the scheme by Newcastle and Gateshead residents.
To raise aspirations and encourage young people to consider a career in construction in the future, almost 10,500 students and school children have been engaged with through Esh's bespoke social value programmes. Local charities have also benefited from the scheme with £10,350 of donations made.
The programme remains on schedule and is expected to be complete in time for the bridge's centenary in 2028.
The Tyne Bridge multi-million-pound restoration is funded by the UK Government, as well as monies from the North East Combined Authority, Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council.
