Byker Viaduct

The viaduct shortly after completion in 1979.

The Byker Viaduct (also known as the Byker Metro Bridge) is an 815 metre long curved 'S' shaped light railway bridge, which carries the Tyne and Wear Metro over the River Ouseburn in Newcastle upon Tyne. It carries the line from Manors Metro station in the city centre to the west, to Byker Metro station in the area of Byker to the east, over the lower Ouseburn valley, with the river emptying into the north side of the River Tyne, to the south.

Designed by Ove Arup and Partners, and built by John Mowlem & Co Ltd, construction began in 1976, and was completed in 1979, it was opened on 11 November 1982 as part of the St James to Tynemouth section of the Metro. It is 8.2m wide, and carries standard gauge double tracks up to 30m above the ground, with 18 spans up to 68.9m long; six of the spans are over the river valley, on the east side of the valley, the bridge continues as a lower elevated section.[1][2] It was notable, in being the first such structure in Britain to be built using cantilevered concrete sections with joints glued with epoxy resin.[3]

It was one of two major bridges built specifically for the Tyne and Wear Metro, the other being the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge crossing the River Tyne.[4]

It is one of three high level bridges in close proximity making the same crossing, with the Ouseburn railway viaduct to the north and the Byker road bridge to the south. The bridge and elevated section form an S-curve, which takes the track over the Byker road bridge at its east end.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Byker Metro Bridge". Engineering Timelines. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Byker Viaduct". structurae.net. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Moavenzadeh, Fred. "Concise Encyclopedia of Building and Construction Materials". The Mit Press. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Meet Your Metro" 1978 information booklet produced by Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive.

Coordinates: 54°58′34″N 1°35′35″W / 54.97613°N 1.593007°W / 54.97613; -1.593007

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