Change of direction is needed on road plans

Mar 12 2010 by Chris Knox, The Journal

Other incidents include the closure of the 18th Century Alnwick Lion Bridge in October on the grounds of public safety after a post-flood inspection revealed a damaged river bed.

There was also extensive damage caused by extreme flooding in Cumbria last autumn.

The institute said that older bridges are at even greater risk than more modern structures because of their age and the construction techniques used to build them.

John Dickson, group chairman at builder John Dickson in Cramlington, Northumberland, said: “I think that the region’s road infrastructure has been severely underfunded over the last three years, which has resulted from a lack of strategic thinking from Government.

“One example is the new Tyne Tunnel, which will have roundabouts either side of it in a terrible state of disrepair.

“There are huge sections of road in the North East that are becoming more and more treacherous to drive on due to pot holes and cracks.

“This underfunded area has also meant under-investment in the North East’s construction sector, which is crying out for work like this to help it to recover.”