High Level Bridge

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For other uses, see High Level Bridge (disambiguation).

Image:High Level Bride and 156.jpg Image:High Level Bridge and Swing Bridge - Newcastle Upon Tyne - England - 14082004.jpg

The High Level Bridge is a notable road and railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England.

Designed by Robert Stephenson and completed in 1849, it is the first major example of a wrought iron tied arch or bow-string girder bridge. The High Level Bridge has six spans of 125 feet (38 m), sitting on masonry piers of 130 feet (40 m) height. The single carriageway road occupies the lower deck of the spans, and the railway the upper deck. The lower deck also provides pedestrian walkways.

Stephenson's High Level Bridge was designed after his equally innovative Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait; and was to influence Isambard Kingdom Brunel in his design of the Royal Albert Bridge across the River Tamar at Saltash.

Road traffic is restricted to a speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) to minimise dynamic load effects on the bridge structure.

The bridge was closed to road traffic in 2005 while Network Rail performs essential maintenance to ensure the bridge's long-term future. It was expected to reopen in late-2005, however, the reopening has now slipped to spring/summer 2006 as severe cracks were found in some of the bridge's iron girders. Having assessed the bridge, engineers have decided a crash barrier in the middle of the road is necessary, meaning that there will be space for only one lane of traffic when the bridge reopens.

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