High Level Bridge

The High Level Bridge behind which is the 1781 stone bridge, in a circa 1852 illustration taken from the Gateshead bank looking north east

The High Level Bridge and the 1781 stone bridge, in an 1861 illustration taken from the Gateshead bank looking north west

Datei:High Level Bride and 156.jpg

A Class 156 DMU crossing the bridge, which is clad whilst being restored.

The High Level Bridge, towering above the Swing Bridge across the River Tyne; photograph facing Newcastle

Observe of a medal struck in 1849 to celebrate the 7th June completion of the structure of the High Level Bridge

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 built between 1847 and 1849, it is the first major example of a wrought iron tied arch or bow-string girder bridge. It is a fine and long standing engineering solution to a difficult problem; the spanning of 1337 feet of river valley, including 512 feet across water. The High Level Bridge has six river spans of 125 feet (38 m) length, sitting on masonry piers, 46 by 16 feet in section and up to 131 feet (40 m) height. There are also four land spans on each side, of 36 feet 3 inches. The single carriageway road and pedestrian walkways occupy the lower deck of the spans, 85 feet above the high water mark, and the railway the upper deck 112 above the high water mark. The total weight of the structure is 5,000 tons.

According to a contemporary encyclopedia:

Each river span is crossed by four main cast iron arched ribs, with horizontal tie bars. The roadway is situated between a pair of ribs some 20 feet apart; and walkways are sited on either side of the roadway in a 6 foot gap between the central and outside ribs. The upper, railway, platform, rests on the arches of the ribs, whilst the lower roadway is suspended from the ribs on wrought iron rods. Each arched rib was cast in five sections. Besides the tie-bars, the ribs are braced by horizontal and vertical bracing frames, while diagonal bracings are inserted in the spandrels, or spaces between the arches and the girders which carry the railway. On the tops of the spandrel pillars, girders extend length-wise, from which other stretch at right-angles across the arched ribs. The whole thus has a perfectly rigid character and is found to bear the heaviest weights without deflection.

The bridge was built for the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, and together with Stephenson's Royal Border Bridge at Berwick upon Tweed, completed the line of a London-Edinburgh railway nowadays known as the East Coast Main Line. The bridge was opened to rail traffic, without ceremony, on the 15th August 1849. It was officially opened on the 27th September 1849 by Queen Victoria; and brought into ordinary use on 4th February 1850..

The total cost of the bridge was £491,153, broken down as follows: The bridge proper cost £243,096, including £112,000 for the metal work, which was produced by Messers Hawks, Crawshay & Co (and subcontractors). The approaches to the bridge cost £113,057, and land and compensation - including to the 650 Newcastle and 130 Gateshead families who were relocated to enable its construction - £135,000.

It is worth remarking that there were competing plans - not taken forwards - for a low level bridge; in 1836 Richard Grainger with engineer Thomas Sopwith proposed a crossing 20 feet above highwater mark, running the Newcastle & Carlisle, Great North of England and Brandling Junction railways into a low level terminus. Under their plans, the Scotland railway would follow contour lines to the east and north, whilst the Carlisle line would be taken up inclined planes.

Stephenson's High Level Bridge was designed after, but completed before his more famous and equally innovative Britannia Bridge (constructed 1846-50) over the Menai Strait; it can be seen as a second and more elegant version of the Britannia Bridge, and was to influence Isambard Kingdom Brunel in his design of the Royal Albert Bridge (1855; constructed 1859) across the River Tamar at Saltash.

The High Level Bridge began to vibrate like a piece of thin wire, but provided an excellent vantage point for the Great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead in 1854.

In 1906, construction of the King Edward VII Bridge, some 500 yards to the west of the High Level Bridge, was completed. This second bridge addressed the central operational weakness of the single bridge, which was that trains entering the station from the south had to be reversed back across the bridge when returning in that direction. It also meant that locomotives had to switch ends before a train could head north towards Edinburgh.

Since the newer bridge opened, the High Level no longer forms part of the East Coast Main Line. Instead, it provides a route for trains going towards Sunderland, Middlesbrough and, formerly, the Leamside Line. It is also occasionally used for London trains wanting to turn around as the two bridges are linked on the Gateshead side to form a loop. For this reason, the western track across the bridge is electrified.

Restoration

The bridge was closed to road traffic in February 2005 to allow essential maintenance to ensure the bridge's long-term future, including replacement of wooden supports beneath the road deck. It was expected to reopen in late-2005, however, the reopening has now slipped as severe cracks were found in some of the bridge's iron girders. Having assessed the bridge, engineers have decided a crash barrier on each side of the roadway is necessary, meaning that there will be space for only one lane of traffic when the bridge reopens. Hence there is speculation that the bridge could either be made one way, or controlled by traffic lights, the possibility of it being bus only route has also been mentioned.

In September 2006, the target date for re-opening was revised to Summer 2008, Bridge path set to close the second further delay announced in six months. The boss of local bus company Go North East has claimed it may not open again until 2010, but this has been strongly refuted by Network Rail, which owns the bridge.

In March 2006, the footpath of the bridge, which was to have been kept open during the restoration project, was closed following repeated vandal attacks.

External links

• High Level: 150 years at Newcastle