Byker Viaduct

The Byker Viaduct (also known as the Byker Metro Bridge) is an 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.

Byker Viaduct
The viaduct shortly after completion in 1979.
Coordinates	54°58′34″N 1°35′35″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 (1976)
Construction end	1979 (1979)
Opened	11 November 1982 (1982-11-11)
Location

Designed by Ove Arup and Partners, and built by John Mowlem & Co Ltd, construction began in 1976, and was completed in 1979,[1] 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 226 ft (69 m) long; six of the spans are over the river valley, with the remainder continuing on the east side of the valley as a lower elevated section.[2][3] It was notable, in being the first such structure in Britain to be built using cantilevered concrete sections with joints glued with epoxy resin.[4]

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.[5]

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]