Work to start on new Wear Bridge in Sunderland

Development that will further regenerate the city of Sunderland.

The start of work on a road bridge over the River Wear in Sunderland has been confirmed by Sunderland City Council.

Costing more than £117M, the design is a three span cable-stayed bridge that has an A-frame pylon which will stand at 379ft.

Now that an agreement has been made for the bridge and approach roads, work can begin in earnest on the bridge which will cross the River Wear between Castletown on the north to Pallion on the south bank.

Preliminary work to divert utilities at the A1231 Wessington Way is already underway for the scheme that will provide a “massive economic, social and community impact.”

The size of the pylon is smaller than was originally planned because the potential 590ft-high bridge would not have been possible with a budget of £118M.

As it is though, the structure will be an impressive one because the pylon will be taller than Big Ben and double the height of Gateshead’s Millennium Bridge.

Comprising City council funding to the tune of over £35M and Government funding in the region of £82M, the bridge will have two lanes of traffic going in both directions and dedicated footpaths and cycleways along the whole bridge.

Councillor Paul Watson is the Leader of Sunderland City Council and he is excited about the benefits that the new bridge will bring.

He said: “The bridge and its approach roads are going to open up regeneration and development sites along the River Wear and bring more investment into Sunderland.

“As a piece of infrastructure, it is one of the region’s biggest civil engineering projects and an investment that is going to help create more jobs and more economic growth.

“By improving links between the A19, the city centre and the Port of Sunderland, a new bridge has always been a key part of Sunderland’s ongoing regeneration.

“This announcement is great news for Sunderland and the wider region. There has been talk for a long, long time that Sunderland has needed a major new road crossing over the River Wear and it’s an issue that has not gone away.

“We have now secured a development that is going to further the regeneration of our city.

“The bridge and its approach roads are about bringing significant economic regeneration and transport benefits to our city and the wider north east region.

“We cannot overstate the massive economic, social and community impact this project is bringing. It’s going to profit homes, businesses, the Port of Sunderland, help with links to the A19, and the development of the International Advanced Manufacturing Park.”

Construction will be undertaken by a joint venture of Farrans Construction and Victor Buyck Steel Construction.

Work will be completed in spring 2018.

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