River Tyne - High Level Bridge ( 1849)
View from Pipewellgate - Keelman's Way NCN 14
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
This bridge is currently closed to all road traffic while the road deck is completly renewed
The upper rail deck remains in use but has had one rail track removed to reduce the
load on the bridge. The bridge is expected to remain closed until late 2005,
and possibly it will
never re-open to vehicles other than buses and taxis.
The west ( upstream) side walkway remains open for pedestrians and cyclists.
