Ongoing work on the Gateshead Flyover at the Park Lane Roundabout.(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)

1. The "most challenging" stage of the Gateshead Flyover demolition is getting under way and drivers are being urged to avoid the area over the coming weeks. From 8pm this evening (July 25) Park Lane roundabout will close until August 21.
2. This will allow demolition contractors to tear down the flyover above the roundabout. During the closure of the junction, which connects the A184 Felling Bypass to the A167 over the Tyne Bridge, a diversion route will be in place via Baltic Quarter.
3. However, Gateshead Council has warned that the route is not designed to carry the volume of traffic which uses Park Lane on a daily basis. Therefore, commuters are also being urged to use alternatives, such as the A1 and Redheugh Bridge, to get across the River Tyne.
4. Anneliese Hutchinson, the council's strategic director for economy, innovation and growth, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Our advice would be much as it has been all the way through – if you can avoid the area at peak times, please do so. If you don’t need to travel through Gateshead then please use alternatives like the A1 or the A194."
5. Ms Hutchinson added: "For those coming into the area, yes there will be queues and there will be disruption. We have done our best to find the best diversion routes with the capacity we need. But we are expecting people to be away on their school holidays as well, so hopefully that will help. And if you can avoid peak times as well, that will also really help."
6. Work to tear down the concrete highway began in April, 18 months after the highway closed suddenly in December 2024 due to fears that the crumbling viaduct was at risk of collapse.
7. The demolition of the flyover is now beyond its halfway point, with its entire southern section now gone. 18,000 tonnes worth of material has now been removed as the crumbling structure is gradually taken down, while a series of heavy steel props have been installed at the Park Lane end in preparation for the next phase of works.

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