Newcastle's Unbuilt Motorways

This video covers Newcastle upon Tyne's central motorway alongside the other schemes that were due to be built alongside this in the 1970's. At the time planners were identifying how to redevelop the city centre to handle the increase in car ownership.
Three more motorways were proposed. Central motorway West, Central Motorway East Bypass and a shields road motorway linking into newbridge street.
This also covers key development such as Swan House, Holy Jesus hospital and manors car park.
Colin Buchan's traffic in towns report was the reason for these radical changes proposed to the city centre.

[@MegaScoobydoo2]

Great video Jordan. Im 57 and i was ignorant to most of the content. The town planners made a right pigs ear of things. Looking forward to more of your videos. S

[@JordanReeve]

Thanks Steve glad you enjoyed it!

[@ClarkeDurrant-ti3uk]

really interesting video been coming to Newcastle for years and didn't know these facts thanks for the interesting content Jordan

[@stevebatey6786]

Great vid - thanks for posting this on here! As a kid, I used to read 2000AD comic and saw they would envisage how Mega City 1 would take over the US Eastern Seaboard in the late 21st century. Over one hundred years before this fictitious date in the early 1980s, we had it! Looking back (and trying to drive around it now having moved away), the Central Motorway is an absolute nightmare! Before it was built, even now along City Road there are signs for access to Ring Road East and West (might be mistaken about the West bit), but they clearly had aspirations for some kind of car-based traffic system. Even thinking about the Metro, why the Hell did they even bother with the additional Ouseburn and Tyne viaducts where the existing BR services were in place? Granted, they’d planned for the Airport connection, and could’ve rejuvenated the St Peter’s loop to Wallsend but what about a Western link along the North bank of the river through Scotswood (whatever’s left of there) to Newburn and Throckley? I still love my home City but, fuck me, down through history, we’ve been very good at not implementing half-baked ideas. Please feel free at responding, whoever you are! I’m currently sat on holiday after a couple of cheeky mid-afternoon ‘Sangrias’ wondering what might have been - we could have still had some York or Dubrovnik-style City walls to entice the tourists…

[@George-zq5go]

Love this content! It’s great to hear about this city and learn things I never even knew! 😁

[@JordanReeve]

Thanks mate!

[@mmmmark11111]

Great video. Keep up the good work 👍🏻

[@leslierutherford2390]

Well done, a very interesting presentation of what to some is events of yesterday and to others history.

[@JordanReeve]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

The first time I explored the city centre, I thought its mixture of buildings was due to the usual lack of care in the rebuilding after the war. It came as a bit of a shock to discover the Good Burghers had vandalized their city themselves. Then I learned about the abject corruption in the planning of the city and, well, there you go. A great city to live in, but not a pretty one.

[@seanC3i]

I disagree, Grainger Town is very nice and the Metro gets you there quickly from anywhere in the region. It's stuff that was built in the 60s and 70s that's ugly, but changes are being made constantly. Case in point: Commercial Union House, an ugly carbuncle that used to be on Pilgrim St. was demolished in late '21 early '22.

[@TheGreatest1974]

Really interesting and well presented. Thanks 👍👍

[@richardsharpe2966]

Could this motoway have worked with the Tyne & Wear Metro

[@F--B]

I remember seeing remnants of the arcade at swan house when I used to walk through there back in the 00s. The building was half destroyed, so it was strange glimpsing the decorative features amongst the ruins of the building. I loved the contrast with the brutalist simplicity of swan house. It was like stumbling on a beautiful little oasis. I was sad when they got rid of it.

[@JordanReeve]

Wish I could have seen the fake version of the arcade under swan house. Seems to be better than the restaurant units that constantly change underneath currently

[@davidgalloway8825]

@@JordanReeve The fake Royal Arcade was a poor pastiche, albeit painted in nice colours, and only one or two of the units were ever let. The others remained boarded up from build to demolition. But I’m old enough to remember the beautiful original arcade, and the outcry when it was pulled down.

[@rogerroger5255]

Very interesting, if depressing to see how planners only blight our cities. Are there any examples anywhere in the UK of post WW2 planning success ? These schemes have only ever decreased my city experiences. I no longer wish to visit, never mind live, in any UK city.

[@georgeedwardscott7159]

do you know where the entrance to the pandon service tunnel is? ive never heard of it before.

[@JordanReeve]

I’m not sure where the tunnel actually lies,

[@katieclark5546]

Good video mate, never knew Northumberland street connection with the A1

[@alexrobinson2281]

Northumberland Street WAS the A1 !

[@pilgrum23]

All this is on line

[@Vince_uk]

Excellent

[@grahamwallis6568]

You are doing great work, thank you very much for sharing it

[@kopynd1]

tyneside classical, exactly not the concrete structure crap

[@JordanReeve]

Two very different styles that both have a big part of newcastles history. But Tyneside classical will always be a favourite

[@boogalaloopala2738]

I wonder what Luke Skywalker would have made of it all

[@marksinclair6518]

Very interesting

[@FlashyAngus41]

Really great vid, loads of information

[@JordanReeve]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rysc12345]

Looking forward to the next video :)

[@JordanReeve]

Coming soon!

[@stevecampbell7589]

There are no safety issues with the CM at all. Its well spaced out between junctions. I am on it quite a few times a day without problems. Its called being an experienced driver

[@JordanReeve]

The entrance North bound onto the Central motorway from Jesmond road, isnt very well designed or spaced out neither is the entrance from New bridge street heading south bound across the tyne bridge, these involve a number of lane changes and give ways which a lot of drivers do not obey

[@MBrady1970]

@@JordanReeve Your right! The whole criss-crossing nature of the motorway is a disaster especially in rush hour...and the entrance from the great north road just after the hancock (north bound) following to go, east or south, is lethal! Here your joining the motorway, on a bend, into the fast lane (50mph...yerr right!) with limited road to build up speed. The fast lane approaching is also on a bend and don't see you until the last minute.....creating a slamming brakes on moment, and a terrified new comer flooring it! Luckily this is probably the least used entrance to the motorway. Thanks for your videos, they're class 👍