A major milestone has been reached on the £120 million New Wear Crossing project in Sunderland.

The 100-metre pylon centrepiece for the structure arrived at the Port of Sunderland from Belgium on Saturday, 07 January.

The pylon is made from over 1,000 tonnes of steel and 550 tonnes of concrete. It will form the centrepiece of the New Wear Crossing, which is being delivered by Farrans Construction and Victor Buyck Steel Construction, known as FVB Joint Venture.

The next milestone on the scheme will be the transportation of the pylon up the river to its permanent new home between Castletown and Pallion.


Once completed, the new bridge will link Castletown to the north of the River Wear with Pallion to the south, and will have dual two-lane carriageways for vehicles, as well as dedicated cycle and pedestrian routes. The project is on schedule to be completed in spring 2018.

City Council Leader, Paul Watson, said: "Seeing the pylon here in Sunderland for the first time makes me personally feel very proud of all the work that has been put in by a lot of people to turn this project into a reality.

"There is still a lot of work to be done, but I'd like to say thank you to everyone involved who has ensured that we have got this far - on time and within budget."







(LM/MH)