Byker Viaduct | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The viaduct shortly after completion in 1979. | |
| Coordinates | 54°58′34″N 1°35′35″W / 54.97613°N 1.593007°W |
| Carries | Tyne and Wear Metro |
| Crosses | Ouseburn |
| Locale | Tyneside |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Box girder bridge |
| Material | Concrete |
| Total length | 2,674 ft (815 m) |
| Width | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Clearance below | 98 ft (30 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Ove Arup and Partners |
| Constructed by | John Mowlem & Co Ltd |
| Construction start | 1976 |
| Construction end | 1979 |
| Opened | 11 November 1982 |
| Location | |
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The Byker Viaduct (also known as the Byker Metro Bridge) is a 2,674 ft (815 m) 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. 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.[1]
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.[2][3]