The replacement structure for the Allerdene Bridge in Gateshead will remain closed for ‘months, not weeks’ due to a welding fault, further delaying the A1 improvement scheme.
The bridge was put in place in September 2023 to replace the original structure, which was over 40 years old and required regular maintenance that caused disruption to traffic.
It formed part of a series of improvements along the A1 between junctions 65 and 67 (Birtley to Coal House) that were expected to be completed earlier this year.
However, in August 2024, steelwork contractor Severfield alerted National Highways to issues with the welding on the 3,400-tonne road bridge, which stretches across a section of the East Coast Main Line.
In response to this, National Highways has implemented a one-mile lane closure across the bridge between junctions 65 and 67 while the welding problem is fixed, with lane closures ongoing during weekends.
A statement from National Highways said that its supply chain partners are ‘continuing to address the Severfield weld issue and are working under the bridge’.
Due to the ‘complexity’ of the works, they don’t have a date for the removal of the remaining traffic management, adding that it will likely take ‘months rather than weeks’.
A spokesperson added: ‘We're currently erecting a scaffold so that we can carry out the repairs from underneath the structure.
‘This is a lengthy process as we need access to the 25kV electrified railway line beneath the new bridge, when trains are not running.’
However, the national roads operator added that work had begun on parts of the new bridge that are not directly over the railway line.
Upcoming closures to allow repair work to continue include:
- Saturday 13 September - A1 lane 2 and 3 closed southbound between junctions 71 to 69 and fully closed southbound between junctions 69 to 65 (junction 69 to junction 68 filter lanes remain open)
- Sunday 14 September - A1 lane 2 closed northbound between junctions 63 to 65 and fully closed northbound between junctions 65 to 67
- Saturday 20 September - A1 lane 2 closed northbound between junctions 63 to 65 and fully closed northbound between junctions 65 to 67
- Sunday 21 September - A1 lane 2 and 3 closed southbound between junctions 71 to 69 and fully closed southbound between junctions 69 to 65 (junction 69 to junction 68 filter lanes remain open)
- Saturday 27 September - A1 lane 2 and 3 closed southbound between junctions 71 to 69 and fully closed southbound between junctions 69 to 65 (junction 69 to junction 68 filter lanes remain open)
- Sunday 28 September - A1 lane 2 closed northbound between junctions 63 to 65 and fully closed northbound between junctions 65 to 67.
Image credit: National Highways
