00:00For many people travelling into Newcastle, crossing the Tyne is part of the daily routine.
00:05Well, the restoration of one of the region's best-known landmarks means finding another way across during the half-turn.
00:12The Tyne Bridge will close completely, including its footpaths and cycle routes, as engineers prepare for work on the main
00:19steel arch.
00:22I drive and I don't use the Tyne Bridge, me, like Redshift Bridge.
00:26Do you avoid the Tyne Bridge deliberately because of the traffic?
00:29Yes, because the flyover, that flyover has caused loads of chaos, hasn't it?
00:34When people are working like I used to work on site, having no pedestrians and the public about,
00:42because if you drop hammer or whatever, it can hurt when it hits you.
00:47I haven't, but my son has, who works, so he travels over the Tyne Bridge, and it's terrible, isn't it?
00:57It'll be difficult, I should think. Traffic jams will get those, but it's got to be done, I should think.
01:03It's old, it's fixing.
01:07Newcastle City Council says the full closure will run from 11 o'clock at night on Friday 23rd October
01:13until 5 o'clock in the morning on Monday 2nd November.
01:17The work will allow up to 70% of the bridge deck to be completed, with further overnight closures for
01:23vehicles planned in November.
01:25But there are concerns about the knock-on effect.
01:29Traffic is already difficult. Newcastle's live theatres asking audiences travelling from south of the river to allow extra time to
01:36get to their shows.
01:37The disruption comes alongside a planned nine-day metro closure between Monxeton and St James'.
01:44I know, I can see why they picked half term, because obviously, if the adults are off work, they're not
01:51commuting into work.
01:52So I can see, I think that's why they probably picked half term, because they can be more flexible around
01:58the travel patterns.
01:59No, that's one thing I will say. You tend to find that they do a lot of this kind of
02:03work in the city centre at the wrong times.
02:05You know, there's going to be a lot of parents out and about. I'm a parent of a young daughter
02:08myself.
02:09And it's, although we would use the metro, you're going over the time bridge.
02:12If you want to do anything like that over the time bridge, drivers and that are going to be affected.
02:15And in the half term, it's the last thing to do. They shouldn't be doing it during half term.
02:19It should be another time. It's not the right time at all.
02:24Well, I suppose it's better when there's so much traffic around, but it's still going to be bad, the same
02:30way you look at it.
02:32They weren't made for modern traffic.
02:34I mean, obviously, councils are strapped for cash everywhere, aren't they?
02:37So it's very difficult to prioritise between old buildings and healthcare and everything.
02:44But it would be a shame if we lost things like that in our heritage, wouldn't they?
02:48The council says the full closure will help keep the bridge open during work on its main arch scheduled to
02:54begin in early 2027.
02:57Travellers are being urged to plant alternative rooms.
