High Level Bridge | |
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 High Level Bridge in 2014 | |
| Coordinates | 54°58′01″N 1°36′31″W / 54.9669°N 1.6086°W |
| OS grid reference | NZ251636 |
| Carries |
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| Crosses | River Tyne |
| Locale | Tyneside |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Maintained by |
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| Heritage status | Grade I listed[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Girder bridge |
| Total length | 407.8 m (1,338 ft) |
| Width | 12.2 m (40 ft) |
| Longest span | 38.1 m (125 ft) |
| No. of spans | 6 |
| Piers in water | 3 |
| Clearance below | 25.92 m (85.0 ft) |
| No. of lanes | 1 (southbound only) |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrified | 25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE |
| History | |
| Designer | Robert Stephenson |
| Engineering design by | T E Harrison |
| Constructed by | John Rush and Benjamin Lawton of York |
| Fabrication by |
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| Construction start | 12 August 1847 |
| Construction end | 7 June 1849 |
| Opened | 15 August 1849 |
| Inaugurated |
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| Location | |
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Railways between Newcastle and Gateshead | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The High Level Bridge is a road and railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in North East England. It was built by the Hawks family[2] from 5,050 tons of iron. George Hawks, Mayor of Gateshead, drove in the last key of the structure on 7 June 1849,[3] and the bridge was officially opened by Queen Victoria later that year.
It was designed by Robert Stephenson to form a rail link towards Scotland for the developing English railway network; a carriageway for road vehicles and pedestrians was incorporated to generate additional revenue. The main structural elements are tied cast-iron arches.
Notwithstanding the considerable increase in the weight of railway vehicles since it was designed,[citation needed] it continues to carry rail traffic, although the King Edward bridge nearby was opened in 1906 to ease congestion. The roadway is also still in use, although with a weight restriction. It is a Grade I listed structure.[1]
- ^ a b Historic England. "High Level Bridge (Grade I) (1248568)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Hawks family
- ^ The Monthly Chronicle of North Country Lore and Legend. 1887. p. 30.