Five bridges roundabout closes on Sunday 21st June
A new milestone in the demolition of the Gateshead Highway flyover will see the Five Bridges roundabout closed to all traffic this Sunday, 21st June.
The roundabout will be closed off for 25 days right through to Thursday 16 July 2026.
From Sunday 21st until Wednesday 24th, the team from BAM and Thompsons will work only day shifts.
From Thursday 25th onwards, they will work 24 hours per day to minimise the length of the closure. Official diversion routes will be clearly signposted.
The council is funding a shuttle bus service (S1) to serve residents in the Sunderland Road area while Go North East services are diverted.
Full details are available from a link on the front of the www.gonortheast.co.uk website.
Drivers are encouraged to leave more time for their journeys and to take a different route away from the closure area if possible.
To help minimise disruption, the council is encouraging people to consider public transport, park and ride, car sharing, or walking and cycling for shorter trips.
For those drivers who need to access the town centre or travel to and from Newcastle, the council is taking action to help reduce disruption to the road network.
• The bus lane on Durham Road to the west of the Five Bridges roundabout will be temporarily suspended, to allow all northbound traffic to reach the town centre.
• On the east side of the roundabout, traffic will be able to travel in both directions between Sunderland Road and Old Durham Road, once the main roundabout has been closed.
• Access to the Tesco car park at Trinity Square is now available by entering Lambton Street from the High Street and Oakwellgate junction - and drivers can now exit the car park in both directions.
Gateshead town centre will remain open for business throughout the roundabout closure.
Anneliese Hutchinson, strategic director for Economy, Innovation and Growth, said:
"This is a major milestone in the demolition of the flyover. Our contractors have already made good progress since work began in April, removing eight spans of the structure, plus the central access ramps.
"Now the team need to focus on removing the Five Bridges roundabout section, and we know that will cause disruption to local residents and businesses.
"We are thankful for people's understanding that this is a vital project and the work has to be completed, to safely demolish the southern end of the flyover.
"Our council colleagues are working hard to keep disruption to a minimum, and there will also be a series of events in the town centre throughout the summer, to help support our traders in a period when car journeys will be more challenging.
"Fortunately Gateshead is very well served by the Metro and bus services, and we have a growing network of cycle routes too, to allow people to travel in a variety of different ways."
Pedestrian diversions will be in place while the flyover structure is demolished and of course the pedestrian footbridges across the roundabout will have to be closed.
You will be able to cross Durham Road using the pedestrian crossing between St Edmunds Road and Whitehall Road. And BAM will also be re-opening a pedestrian only path on the route of the Sunderland Road bus lane, to allow easier access to the High Street, starting from Wednesday 24th June.
For all the latest updates on the flyover demolition project visit www.gateshead.gov.uk/flyover
A new milestone in the demolition of the Gateshead Highway flyover will see the Five Bridges roundabout closed to all traffic this Sunday, 21st June.
The roundabout will be closed off for 25 days right through to Thursday 16 July 2026.
From Sunday 21st until Wednesday 24th, the team from BAM and Thompsons will work only day shifts.
From Thursday 25th onwards, they will work 24 hours per day to minimise the length of the closure. Official diversion routes will be clearly signposted.
The council is funding a shuttle bus service (S1) to serve residents in the Sunderland Road area while Go North East services are diverted.
Full details are available from a link on the front of the www.gonortheast.co.uk website.
Drivers are encouraged to leave more time for their journeys and to take a different route away from the closure area if possible.
To help minimise disruption, the council is encouraging people to consider public transport, park and ride, car sharing, or walking and cycling for shorter trips.
For those drivers who need to access the town centre or travel to and from Newcastle, the council is taking action to help reduce disruption to the road network.
• The bus lane on Durham Road to the west of the Five Bridges roundabout will be temporarily suspended, to allow all northbound traffic to reach the town centre.
• On the east side of the roundabout, traffic will be able to travel in both directions between Sunderland Road and Old Durham Road, once the main roundabout has been closed.
• Access to the Tesco car park at Trinity Square is now available by entering Lambton Street from the High Street and Oakwellgate junction - and drivers can now exit the car park in both directions.
Gateshead town centre will remain open for business throughout the roundabout closure.
Anneliese Hutchinson, strategic director for Economy, Innovation and Growth, said:
"This is a major milestone in the demolition of the flyover. Our contractors have already made good progress since work began in April, removing eight spans of the structure, plus the central access ramps.
"Now the team need to focus on removing the Five Bridges roundabout section, and we know that will cause disruption to local residents and businesses.
"We are thankful for people's understanding that this is a vital project and the work has to be completed, to safely demolish the southern end of the flyover.
"Our council colleagues are working hard to keep disruption to a minimum, and there will also be a series of events in the town centre throughout the summer, to help support our traders in a period when car journeys will be more challenging.
"Fortunately Gateshead is very well served by the Metro and bus services, and we have a growing network of cycle routes too, to allow people to travel in a variety of different ways."
Pedestrian diversions will be in place while the flyover structure is demolished and of course the pedestrian footbridges across the roundabout will have to be closed.
You will be able to cross Durham Road using the pedestrian crossing between St Edmunds Road and Whitehall Road. And BAM will also be re-opening a pedestrian only path on the route of the Sunderland Road bus lane, to allow easier access to the High Street, starting from Wednesday 24th June.
For all the latest updates on the flyover demolition project visit www.gateshead.gov.uk/flyover
