Bridge maintenance

The Council is responsible for the borough's bridges, and inspects them at a maximum of every two years.

A more detailed inspection of the Redheugh and Scotswood bridges, for which the Council is lead authority, is carried out every six years.

The use of 40 tonne lorries and 11.5 tonne axle weight has been permitted on the road network from 1 January 1999. The Council, as local highway authority, has assessed road bridges for their ability to carry the increased loading requirements.

Prior to strengthening sub-standard bridges interim measures are applied, for example, weight restrictions, to maintain public safety.

The strengthening programme prioritises those bridges carrying the Primary Route Network. For those bridges on other routes prioritisation depends on a number of factors including: structural safety; social, economic and environmental consequences of interim measures; negotiability of alternative routes.