One of the busiest routes into Newcastle will be hit by major closures early in 2020.
The Redheugh Bridge is expected to be closed for at least two full weekends in February to allow for major repairs.
Council bosses say that the 15-year-old expansion joints on the bridge are now nearing the end of their lifespan and have begun to come loose.
While the exact dates of the works have yet to be confirmed, it is understood that the crossing will be shut from 8pm on Friday night to 6am Monday morning for a minimum of two weekends in February.
The £375,000 repairs could take longer depending on weather conditions and any other problems encountered by engineers.
Council officers told a meeting of the Joint Tyne Bridges Committee on Thursday that the works would be organised to avoid clashing with Chinese New Year celebrations, Newcastle United home games, and any mainline rail closures that would usually see replacement bus services using the Redheugh Bridge to get to Central Station.
Newcastle city councillor Pauline Allen warned that the closures could cause “chaos” if the bridge does not re-open in time for the Monday morning rush hour.
However, council transport chief Coun Arlene Ainsley said that the bridge would re-open temporarily in such a scenario and then close the following weekend for the works to be completed.
She added that the works may also have to be timed around any potential strikes on the Metro.
The Tyne and Wear rail network was closed on Friday and Saturday due to a strike by train drivers , with the RMT union warning that more walkouts are “inevitable” unless there is a breakthrough in negotiations with Nexus.
Coun Ainsley said: “We have to think about the Metro strikes as well. Fingers crossed it won’t continue, but if it does that will have a huge impact on the amount of traffic.”
