It was built by Sir William Arrol between 1907 and 1909 and officially opened by The Earl of Durham, on behalf of Queen Alexandra on 10 June 1909.

As the bridge was due to be built near to the successful shipyards of the Wear, a clause in the North Eastern Railway Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vict.

c. clxii) required that only one arch span be built over the river to give a clearance of 85 ft (26 m) above high water level.

[2] The bridge also housed gas and water mains and in later years, high voltage electricity cables and a pumped rising-main for sewage.

From 21 March 2005, the bridge was temporarily restricted to southbound traffic whilst repainting and repair work was carried out on the 96-year-old structure, which was due to take almost a year to complete.