The Gateshead flyover which has been closed for a whole year since December 2024. Demolition work on the 1960's concrete structure is scheduled to take place in 2026.(Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)

A crumbling, abandoned eyesore: Pictures of the Gateshead Flyover after a year of closure

by · ChronicleLive

It is now exactly 12 months since the A167 Gateshead Highway flyover was suddenly shut down after major safety fears over its concrete pillars emerged. The elevated concrete highway was closed off on December 13 last year and has never reopened.

The emergency closure of one of the region’s busiest roads sparked a travel crisis, with all Tyne and Wear Metro services between Gateshead and Newcastle needing to be shut down for almost two weeks while engineers hurriedly worked to shore up the 1960s-built structure to prevent it collapsing. And it has become a source of immense frustration for local businesses, particularly those on the adjacent Gateshead High Street, who have been left fearing that a downturn in trade and reputational damage to the town will leave them struggling to survive.

While there had been hopes that it would have been demolished by now, work to remove the flyover is now due to start in the new year. First, engineers will tear down the neighbouring Computer House office block before moving onto the flyover itself. Gateshead Council says it should be mostly demolished by May 2026.

Scroll through the gallery below to see the state of the flyover today, a year on from the dramatic closure.

The poor state of the flyover has been visible for years(Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)
Computer House beside the Gateshead Flyover, which is set for demolition before the road itself(Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)
Demolition work on the 1960s concrete structure is scheduled to take place in 2026(Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)
Damage can clearly be seen on the flyover(Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)