Hadrian's Cycleway

High Level Bridge ( 1849)

Looking downstream from Hadrian's Cycleway NCN 72

By the early 1840’s the rail network had extended up both the eastern and western
sides of Britain, but there was grave concern that unless passengers could be carried
without a break in the journey between London and Edinburgh on the eastern route
through Newcastle, the western route would control all of the through traffic.

As a rail crossing of the Tyne at Newcastle appeared so formidable, the railway authorities
were seriously considering leaving Newcastle out of the direct London/Edinburgh routes
until Newcastle Corporation and the railway companies commissioned the genius
of Robert Stephenson to carry out a rail/river-crossing scheme.

The design was soon executed and by October 1846, Hawkes Crawshay & Company of Gateshead
who began construction work on what was to become the High Level Bridge in 1845.

The bridge was the first dual decked rail / road bridge in the world and consists of
six spans of tied cast iron arches, with masonry approach viaducts each side.
The rail deck is supported on pillars above the arches whilst the road deck with
two pedestrian walkways are suspended from these arches below.

One of the first Steam Hammers was used to drive the foundation piles for the piers.

The length of the viaduct is 1,337 feet and the height from high water mark to
the carriageway section is 85 feet, and to the rail deck 109 feet
Some 5,000 tons of cast and wrought iron were used in its construction.

The upper deck carries the railway - originally with three tracks but now reduced to two tracks.
The lower deck is the roadway which once also carried trams between Newcastle and Gateshead.

The bridge is essentially the same today as it was constructed save for strengthening to take trams.

The High Level bridge was "officially"opened by Queen Victoria on 28th September 1849

Total cost of was £491,153.