Get the Swing Bridge Swinging Again!

The Swing Bridge celebrates its 150th Anniversary in June 2026, but it is looking dilapidated and it no longer swings. Discussions between the Port of Tyne Authority and Newcastle City and Gateshead Councils have been ongoing for seven years - but little seems to be happening.

Jesmond resident and Newcastle City Guide, John Dias, has started a petition to get those concerned to reveal their plans for the bridge's future. John said: “As a City Guide, I lead groups of domestic and foreign tourists down to the Quayside and am totally embarrassed by the dilapidated state of William Armstrong’s hydraulic marvel which exemplified the engineering prowess of this region.”

Liberal Democrat City Councillor Pauline Allen, who sits on the Joint Tyne Bridges Committee, has been pushing for many months for the Committee to meet with the Port of Tyne Authority to discuss its future and come up with a plan to repair it and bring in back to its former glory. The Port Authority is responsible for the hydraulic swing mechanism, but the Councils are responsible for overall maintenance of the bridge. Following her pressure, a visit to the bridge and a meeting to discuss its future has been arranged for Tuesday 3rd March.

Pauline said: “We now need to keep up the pressure to get things started. I recognise that repairs will be complex, expensive and probably take many years, but a start needs to be made. Please sign John's petition so that everyone is aware of how important the bridge is to our heritage - as well as still being a practical crossing over the river.”