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A pair of footbridges in Jarrow have fully reopened to the public after major refurbishment works were complete. 

The Monkton Terrace footbridges closed to pedestrians in December 2021 after structural experts raised concerns about the condition of the parapets during routine safety inspections.

The footbridges provide a pedestrian route over an active railway line and are separate structures to the road bridge itself.

The project involved the installation of specialist scaffold to make the footbridge supports safe ahead of essential permanent refurbishment works being carried out as part of a complex operation.

Councillor Ernest Gibson, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, said: "Monkton Terrace is a hugely important, heavily used route for people visiting Jarrow Shopping Centre, providing access to the nearby schools and local services as well as connecting our communities.

"It's great to see the work complete and the footpaths now fully reinstated after such a time-consuming and complicated project due to the active Metro line below making access to repair extremely limited.

"Despite this, we have worked hard to maintain a walking route wherever possible, for example creating a temporary footpath supported by traffic signals in the early stages, then making the west bridge safe for use while permanent works were carried out on the east bridge.

"Having a safe and efficient highways and infrastructure network is vital to help keep our businesses and communities connected. These works will ensure the long-term safety of this particular route for many more years to come."

The refurbishment project was carried out with the support of Nexus which operates the Tyne and Wear Metro line beneath the footbridges.