Sunderland’s Northern Spire Bridge Opens

28 August 2018, 16:12 | Updated: 28 August 2018, 16:31

Three years since work began the new Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland has opened to the public.

Northern Spire opened to pedestrians this afternoon and will officially open to traffic on Wednesday. The bridge links Pallion to Castletown and cost £117m to complete. At 105m tall it stands taller than Big Ben.

Delays caused by the Beast from the East meant the bridge took months longer to finish than originally predicted .

Locally made Nissans including a Qashqai and electric Leaf will be the first cars to use the bridge.

Sunderland City Council leader Councillor Graeme Miller said: "It looks stunning and is a great addition to the Sunderland skyline."