Going, going...almost gone: Work underway to demolish bridge over A19 as part of £125 million flyover project

A bridge seen by tens of thousands of people every day is being taken down bit by bit as part of a plan to get traffic moving more smoothly on the A19.
By Fiona.Thompson
Published 20th Jul 2019, 16:30 BST
Updated 21st Jul 2019, 14:31 BST
Images shared by the Highways Agency show the work being carried out to knock down the bridge near Testo's Roundabout.Images shared by the Highways Agency show the work being carried out to knock down the bridge near Testo's Roundabout.
Images shared by the Highways Agency show the work being carried out to knock down the bridge near Testo's Roundabout.

The West House Bridleway Bridge, between Testo’s Roundabout and the sliproads off the A19 to Abingdon Way and Hedworth Lane, is being removed this weekend as part of the £125 million plans to create a new flyover at Testo’s.

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Photos shared by the Highways Agency show the structure as work began to dismantle it overnight and show the railings down as the demolition team started their task.

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The road will be closed until 6am on Monday, July 22, to allow the crew to take down the bridge, which has linked West House Farm Cottage and Farm lane off a section of Newcastle Road to Burford Way in Boldon.

Related: Bridge across A19 set for demolition

Traffic heading in both directions is being diverted from the A19 at at the Lindisfarne Roundabout, along the A194 at Leam Lane in Jarrow, and using Whitemare Pool to rejoin the A184 Newcastle Road at Wardley.

Average speed cameras were installed this week ready to be turned on later this month, with restrictions in place to keep workers safe during the project

A photo of the bridge taken from the air ahead of the weekend's demolition project.A photo of the bridge taken from the air ahead of the weekend's demolition project.
A photo of the bridge taken from the air ahead of the weekend's demolition project.

The flyover project aims improve congestion and reduce journey times and will take more than two years to complete.

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In addition to tackling existing congestion during peak times, the project also hopes to support the development of the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP.)

The programme includes two schemes, one at Testo's roundabout, which means people will no longer need to use a roundabout, and another at the Downhill Lane Junction, which is one of the main routes to Nissan and into the north of Sunderland

Related topics:A19