Drivers have been warned not to expect the road beneath the Gateshead Flyover to reopen once demolition of the structure is completed later this year. Gateshead Council says the route below the A167 flyover will be left in “no condition” for immediate use after the crumbling structure is removed.
The flyover has been closed since December 2024 following concerns over its structural safety, with fears that parts of the elevated highway could collapse. Contractors are currently carrying out a phased demolition programme, which is expected to be completed by October.
The road running beneath the flyover, between the Park Lane and Five Bridges roundabouts, has also remained closed throughout the works.
Council officials have now confirmed that the completion of demolition will not automatically mean the route can reopen. The authority says the scale of works required to remove the structure means the road underneath will not be suitable for immediate use, even after the demolition debris has been cleared.
While the road could potentially be repaired and reopened in the future, its long-term fate is likely to depend on wider plans for the regeneration of Gateshead town centre. The removal of the flyover has long been viewed as an opportunity to unlock new investment and housing development in the area, although detailed regeneration proposals have yet to be published.
Responding to questions from residents on social media, Gateshead Council said: “Our contractors tell us the road beneath the flyover will be in no condition to re-open after the demolition is complete. “Work is ongoing to plan the town centre road system and plan regeneration of the vacant land being created by demolition.”
A council spokesperson later stressed that no final decision has been taken on the road’s future. They said: “We’ve always said that the road beneath the flyover cannot reopen immediately after demolition because of the scale of the works involved, but any suggestion that its longer-term future has been decided is simply wrong.”
Former council leader Martin Gannon previously said the road network beneath the flyover would need to be redesigned after the structure is removed.
Speaking last year, he suggested any replacement route would not have the same capacity as the flyover and said he did not want it to become a “rat run” for drivers travelling between Gateshead and Newcastle.
Since then, control of Gateshead Council has changed hands following May’s local elections, with Reform UK taking control of the authority.
Council leader Nick Allan has previously expressed hopes of reviewing parts of Gateshead’s road network, including the Askew Road bus lane, as part of efforts to improve access and support economic growth.
Meanwhile, disruption linked to the demolition is set to continue.
The Five Bridges roundabout is currently closed as work progresses, and commuters have been warned of further delays when the busier Park Lane roundabout closes for several weeks from July 25.
The junction is a major route for traffic travelling between the A184 Felling Bypass and the A167 over the Tyne Bridge.
