Spanning the River Tyne since 1928, the Tyne Bridge is more than a crossing. It is the defining symbol of Tyneside.
Opened by King George V to cheering crowds and a royal carriage procession, it was the world’s longest-span bridge at the time, and a triumph of early 20th-century engineering.
Constructed using shipbuilding techniques by local workers, it served as the prototype for Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The design team featured Dorothy Buchanan, the first woman to join the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Now Grade II* listed, it carries 70,000 vehicles daily, and with its 2028 centenary fast approaching, a major restoration by Esh is underway.
The four-year programme, which Esh is carrying out on behalf of Newcastle and Gateshead councils, is expected to be completed by summer 2028, ahead of the bridge’s centenary in October.
After winning the contract in 2022, the firm conducted extensive investigations, turning up 1,200 defects.
“Ahead of the restoration commencing in April last year, we spent 20 months crawling, abseiling and flying drones across the bridge to get an idea of its condition,” Esh construction manager Stephen McClean told Construction News.
“This gave us an initial snapshot of the extent of repairs needed.
“However, it’s only when each phase of scaffolding is installed, and the structure is cleaned and grit-blasted in phases, that we get the full picture of repairs that are needed.”
Within the first year, the Esh team has carried out in excess of 350 repairs and replaced 1,500 rivets.
“Some of the repairs require significant temporary works to transfer imposed loads while removing main members of steel and replacing them, while some are much more straightforward, such as simply overplating or replacing like for like,” he said.
The restoration work will involve steel, concrete, stonework and masonry repairs, drainage improvements, bridge-deck waterproofing, resurfacing, parapet protection and bridge-joint replacement, as well as a full paint job.
When the firm began the formidable task of repairing the iconic bridge, it was faced with the challenge of how to erect scaffolding without the risk of it collapsing.
Over 180 miles of scaffold tubes will be used throughout the project, and the weight of components tops 13,000 tonnes – six times that of the London Eye.
The bridge’s loading constraints mean Esh has to tackle the £22.8m project in 20 stages.
Work began around the Gateshead tower and saw nearly 100 years of paint grit-blasted. Then the steel was repaired and repainted in its distinctive hollybush green.
The same sequence of restoration work is now taking place around the Newcastle tower, which will see 11 coats of paint removed before restoration and repainting.
Structural repairs and interventions on the bridge’s hangers – located within the eastern footway – are also complete, and the team has moved on to the western footway, where engineers need to work in confined spaces of 1.5 metres to clean out the area before grit-blasting, repairs and repainting can take place.
Once that work has been completed, installation of the scaffold around the screen plates and parapet will begin.
So far, more than 9 tonnes of dirt, rust and guano have been removed from the eastern footway and sent to specialist contractors for safe disposal.
The underdeck of Tyne Bridge has also been fully scaffolded by specialists – it measures 100 metres long by 11 metres wide and is 25 metres above the river.
This element of the programme was brought forward to allow engineers to carry out close-up inspections of the bridge before restoration work starts on the underdeck.
Esh Construction chief executive Andy Radcliffe said: “The first restored section of the bridge on the Gateshead quayside offers a glimpse into what this project will deliver for the region.
“Alongside the construction, we have made strides in the first year to create a legacy within the community.”
Measures involve making the bridge’s rich history accessible to the deaf community with a bespoke virtual reality programme, as well as work placements for those looking to take their first steps into the industry.
“This project is poised to deliver a real and lasting impact for years to come,” Radcliffe said.
The project is one of a number of bridge-restoration contracts for Esh, which has repaired the historic Stamford Bridge near York and is due to start work on Hull’s Drypool Bridge.
Ahead of the 2028 centenary celebrations, civic leaders are excited about Esh’s progress.
“It’s wonderful to see the completed section of steelwork, now repaired and repainted,” Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon said.
“This is a project we can all take great pride in – both for the engineering expertise and hard work going into the restoration, and for the positive impact the project has on our communities.
“We look forward to further achievements and the day of completion, ready for the centenary.”