THE cost of restoring the Tyne Bridge to its former glory has jumped by £12m, it has emerged.

A huge refurbishment of the North East icon is finally due to get under way next month, after years of it drifting into an increasingly dilapidated state.

While Government funding for the bridge’s long-awaited facelift was confirmed last year, much to the relief of the region’s leaders, there have been concerns for some time about the escalating price of the works.

Inflation rates, coupled with the fact that the Grade II* listed crossing is in an even worse condition than first thought, mean that the restoration is now estimated to cost £32.6m – far more than was planned.

The original breakdown of the massive maintenance project would have seen £20.7m spent on the Tyne Bridge and the same amount on repairs to the Central Motorway, in a total £41.4m scheme mostly paid for by the Department for Transport (DfT).

But Newcastle City Council documents confirm that more than half of the money that should have been put towards the motorway will now have to be diverted to the urgent bridge scheme.

It means that the remaining £8.9m for the Central Motorway will be spent on the viaduct section running above the Quayside rather than its entire length, though city transport chiefs say they will look for extra funding to complete the full project.

Labour councillor Jane Byrne, the council’s cabinet member responsible for transport, said: “Like many capital programmes across the country, rising inflation and costs have an impact on these types of projects since the original bid was submitted in 2019.  

"The inspection works also revealed more extensive repairs required to the Tyne Bridge than initially anticipated, which has also added to the length of the programme. 

“With a fixed funding package of £41.4m, we’ve prioritised the spend to fully restoring the Tyne Bridge due to the importance of this iconic structure, not only to the transport network but also as a cherished landmark to people of the region.

“This has meant reprofiling the Central Motorway upgrade to reduce the scope of works and concentrate on the viaduct section until further funding is secured.

“However, we would stress that this is a four-year programme and we are actively seeking additional funding to allow the full scope of works to be completed.”

However, Liberal Democrat Thom Campion accused the council of “political dithering” that has “caused costs to go up and risks creating more issues further down the line”.

The need for the bridge to be repaired has been on the agenda of Tyneside decision-makers since at least 2015.

But their funding bid was sat with the DfT from summer 2019 until finally being given the green light in June 2022, while Labour figures have repeatedly criticised “beauty pageant” bidding processes that see councils across England competing for a share of Government cash to pay for major projects like this.

Cllr Campion said: “Although we’re pleased to see funding maintained for Tyne Bridge repairs, the decision to divert funding from key repairs to the Central Motorway will only end up costing the taxpayer more in the future. 

“Labour can’t seem to learn from past mistakes that putting off repairs now will cost more in the future. Whether it’s fixing simple potholes or huge capital projects like the Central Motorway, this administration would rather look the other way and pretend there aren’t any issues then just get on and fix the problems.”

The first stage of the bridge refurbishment will start in September, after the Great North Run and the end of the nesting season for the Tyne’s colony of kittiwakes, beginning with steelwork repairs on the Gateshead side.

But the biggest and most disruptive phase of the project will then commence early in 2024, at which point two of the bridge’s four traffic lanes will have to be shut to allow engineers to work safely.

That has prompted major worries about years of traffic disruption for motorists, on a key route which carries 70,000 vehicles every day.

As well as a full repaint of the rusted bridge, contractors Esh will be tasked with a series of critical structural repairs too – including steel and concrete fixes, drainage improvements, stonework and masonry repairs, waterproofing and resurfacing, parapet protection, and bridge joint replacement.

It will be the first time since 2001 that the Tyne Bridge has undergone a major maintenance programme.