The river Tyne runs in a wide gorge which makes crossings particularly difficult to build and to still allow shipping to pass.
Until the shipyards declined there were several ferry crossings, but the first bridges do not appear until one reaches Newcastle. Newcastle quayside was best known for it's five original bridges. In 2000 it gained one more and since then, buildings have blossomed on both sides of the river.
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge was fabricated in the AMEC yard at Howdon on Tyne. These pictures show its installation and the growth of buildings around it. The Baltic Art Gallery on the South side of the bridge was followed by Sage Music Centre.