00:00The final £6 million needed to complete the long-awaited restoration of the Tyne Bridge has finally been secured, putting to rest months of political pressure and uncertainty.
00:11The cash will come from the £1.85 billion transport funding package that was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as part of a major investment in the North's infrastructure.
00:21A portion of that commitment, allocated to the North-East Combined Authority, will be brought forward specifically to plug the Tyne Bridge's funding gap.
00:31The four-year restoration project began in early 2024 and is the first major overhaul of the Grade 2 listed bridge in more than two decades.
00:39While the Department for Transport initially committed £3.52 million, a favour £6.2 million was promised by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
00:48This was then put under review following the general election.
00:53This led to concerns among Tyneside leaders that the project might be scaled back or delayed.
00:59Local and regional leaders, including North-East Mayor Kim McGuinness, campaigned heavily to ensure the funding was delivered.
01:06I raised the need for Tyne Bridge funding with the Chancellor directly, said McGuinness.
01:10We have now got that question sorted out.
01:13Newcastle City Council has already dipped into its own resources to ensure restoration work could begin on schedule.
01:20Council leader Karen Kilgawa welcomed the funding, calling it essential to restoring the bridge to its former glory.
01:27The restoration includes over 1,200 individual repairs from steelworks and stonemasonry to concrete and waterproofing.
01:34Engineers will also fully repaint the bridge, its signature green, following the removal of more than nine tonnes of dirt, rust and pageant robins from beneath the structure.
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