Office block torn down ahead of flyover demolition
BBCThe demolition of a derelict office block has been completed in the first stage of work that will see a crumbling flyover knocked down.
Computer House stood at the corner of Gateshead's Sunderland Road and High Street, next to the A167 flyover which has been closed due to safety concerns since December 2024.
The process of stripping out and then bringing down the building began last year, but it was not until earlier this week that heavy duty machinery began pulling down its main structure.
Gateshead Council said its removal would give contractors better access to the 1960s-built flyover with work on the roadway now due begin this month.
It is likely to take until at least October to complete, with further works continuing to the second anniversary of the closure, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
GoogleThe flyover formed part of one of the main transport links on Tyneside and carried about 40,000 vehicles each day.
Heavy-duty steel props have been built to support its weight during demolition as machines cut through steel tendons.
On and off ramps to the central part of the viaduct will be the first sections to be removed and scaffolding is being installed ahead of that work.
Excavators are now working through the rubble of Computer House with the waste being taken away in dumper trucks.