Commuters face roadworks from hell as new Forth bridge built

Bruce · **Posted:** Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:52 am

Quote:

COMMUTERS on the Forth Road Bridge face major disruption during changes to a key junction as part of building the replacement crossing. Transport Scotland believes rebuilding the Ferrytoll interchange just north of the bridges will be the most difficult part of the entire £2.3 billion scheme, The Scotsman has learned.

Project manager Lawrence Shackman said remodelling the junction where roads from the two bridges meet may be "more complicated and challenging than the bridge itself". He said traffic on the A90 would have to be kept flowing during construction work and access maintained for cars and buses using the 1,000-space park-and-ride site beside the interchange.

Connecting roads will account for one-third of the project's total cost. The work will involve moving the dual carriageway from flowing towards the bridge to flowing on to the new crossing, which is due to open in late 2016.

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

Bruce · **Posted:** Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:42 pm

Quote:

SENIOR civil servants in the Scottish Government fear the radical Climate Change Bill passed last week could lead to a legal challenge blocking the proposed new Forth Road Bridge. The bill – which compels ministers to deliver a 42 per cent cut in CO2 emissions by 2020 – could lead them to the courts if they pursue policies which cause them to miss their targets.

Now officials in Edinburgh are privately warning that the new crossing, which will lead to a major increase in Scotland's carbon emissions – could fall foul of the act. Environmentalists say a group of green organisations may step forward with a legal challenge.

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

Bruce · **Posted:** Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:32 pm

Quote:

Bilfinger Berger, the firm at the centre of Edinburgh's tram row, is said to be lining up a bid to build the new £2 billion Forth crossing. German construction giant Bilfinger Berger is currently locked in a legal wrangle with tram firm TIE over a series of disputes which are threatening to derail the £545 million project.

But it is understood the company is also currently putting together a bid to win work on the new Forth Crossing, according to sources close to the project. Bilfinger, which earlier this year was awarded the £320m M80 upgrade contract near Glasgow by the Scottish Government, is one several companies expressing an interest in the bridge project. But the news that Bilfinger appeared to be in the running was today met with anger from local politicians who said the company's performance on the tram project meant any bridge bid should be "dead in the water."

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

Bruce · **Posted:** Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:42 am

Quote:

SCOTLAND'S biggest construction project for decades has attracted only two potential bidders because of fears over cost increases and funding, The Scotsman has learned. Ministers will have to choose between consortia involving the Scottish company Morrison Construction and its rival Balfour Beatty for the £2.3 billion new Forth road bridge.

The two groups have been formed from eight firms and eight consultants who confirmed their interest in the scheme – fewer than half the original 39 expressions of interest lodged. Industry experts said other firms had been frightened off by potentially having to shoulder unexpected cost increases in the giant fixed-price contract.

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

Bruce · **Posted:** Sun Nov 08, 2009 11:28 am

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NEARLY twice as many Scots would prefer the government to repair the existing Forth Road Bridge rather than build an entirely new structure. A YouGov poll commissioned by the Green party has found that 57 per cent of people wanted to repair the road crossing, compared with just 34 per cent who believe it should be replaced.

The survey comes as Scottish ministers prepare to introduce legislation to build a completely new crossing over the Forth, following surveys which showed the existing bridge was so weakened that traffic would soon have to be limited. Faced with such evidence, ministers have said that doing nothing "was not an option". A new bridge, costing up to £2.3 billion, will be constructed, after which the existing crossing will remain open for public transport and bicycles.

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

Bruce · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:01 pm

Quote:

Officials have made their first attempt to find a contractor for the replacement Forth crossing. Eight of the world's most respected construction and specialist engineering companies have been invited to tender for the contract to build the bridge.

The group has split in two with Vinci, Balfour Beatty, Bam Nuttal and Morgan Est forming the Forthspan consortium. The Forth Crossing Constructors group includes Dragados, Hochtief, American Bridge International and Morrisons.

The full story can be read on BBC Scotland News!

Bruce · **Posted:** Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:06 pm

Quote:

HUNDREDS of residents have objected to plans to build a new Forth road bridge, The Scotsman has learned. Their concerns are included in group submissions among 90 objections to the parliamentary bill required to approve the £2.3 billion scheme – nearly double the 50 expected.

More than a dozen community groups and local authorities on both sides of the Forth, whose concerns include compensation and inadequate consultation, are among the opponents. Holyrood officials have encouraged objectors to band together so they can be collectively represented during bill hearings.

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

WhiskyEmporium · **Posted:** Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:10 pm

You all know this area better than I, does it really need a whole new bridge? Can the money not be better allocated?

Ken · **Posted:** Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:28 pm

The existing Forth Road Bridge is in decline due to corrosion within the main support cables, with individual strands of wire breaking at regular intervals (they have installed equipment that can hear the wires breaking). There have been many different dates published projecting when the bridge will become too weak for heavy traffic, then all traffic, and I'm not sure what the current guesstimate is. But at times it has seemed possible that the existing bridge would become unusable even before the earliest date at which a replacement culd be built.

I think it can be taken as a given that a road bridge over the River Forth is a must for the continued economic fortunes of Scotland. Many people in Fife work in Edinburgh and the Lothians: and many employers in Edinburgh and the Lothians rely on workers from Fife. If a bridge were suddenly unavailable the consequences would be dramatic, and presumably include a collapse in house prices in Fife and an inflation of them in the Lothians, plus huge permanent traffic jams as people and goods tried to find alternative much longer (and so less green) routes via Kincardine or Stirling.

I don't believe a replacement bridge can be viewed as an optional extra.

WhiskyEmporium · **Posted:** Fri Jan 29, 2010 3:33 pm

Thanks for the detailed info Ken.

Bruce · **Posted:** Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:26 am

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Campaigners have told a committee of MSPs that a new Forth road bridge would not be a "justifiable or credible" use of £2bn of public money. Holyrood's Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee also heard concerns about congestion on the approach road to the new bridge.

The current road bridge is due to be used exclusively for public transport and cyclists if the new one is built. Construction is due to begin next year should the project be approved.

The full story can be read on BBC Scotland News!

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu May 13, 2010 7:21 am

Quote:

REPAIRING the Forth Road Bridge rather than replacing it is "not a viable option", MSPs ruled yesterday, as they backed a new £2 billion crossing in principle. However, a Holyrood committee called for tighter controls to minimise the impact of construction on residents, and for strict monitoring of costs.

The Forth Crossing Bill committee said there were "economic imperatives associated with the new crossing". But it concluded that closing the existing bridge while its rusting main support cables were replaced was "too simplistic and not a viable option".

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

Bruce · **Posted:** Wed May 26, 2010 8:20 am

The following is from BBC Scotland News:

Quote:

Plans for the new Forth road bridge are due to pass their first parliamentary hurdle. MSPs are expected to vote for the £2bn crossing when the plans - which represent Scotland's biggest transport infrastructure project in a generation - come before the full parliament.

If passed, the project will pass on to the next stage of scrutiny at Holyrood. The new crossing would be built by 2016, if approved by parliament, with construction beginning next year. The project, to be paid for by the Scottish government capital budget, was brought forward in the wake of concerns about the condition of the existing 45-year-old road bridge.

The Forth Crossing Bill was earlier backed by a special committee of MSPs set up to scrutinise the proposals, although members called for steps to be taken to ensure minimal disruption while the bridge was being built. The public has also been asked for its views on continuing to use the current bridge for public transport only, when the new crossing opens.

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu May 27, 2010 7:57 am

Quote:

PLANS to build a new £2.3 billion bridge across the Forth moved a step closer yesterday after being overwhelmingly backed by MSPs in a Scottish Parliament vote. Scotland's biggest construction project will now be discussed in greater detail with individual concerns aired and amendments lodged.

The plans enjoy cross-party support. Transport minister Stewart Stevenson said: "This is an important milestone for the Forth Replacement Crossing. There is now near-universal agreement that this project, the biggest Scottish infrastructure project for a generation, is vital to the sustainable growth of Scotland's economy."

The full story can be read in The Scotsman!

Bruce · **Posted:** Mon Aug 02, 2010 11:19 pm

Quote:

Headland Archaeology (UK) Limited will carry out archaeological investigations on the land earmarked for the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC). The Edinburgh-based company has been appointed by Transport Scotland.

The investigations will include geophysical survey, trial trenches and hand excavation in an effort to unearth objects of historical interest. Work is scheduled to begin this month and is expected to last about a year.

The full story can be read on BBC Scotland News!

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Commuters face roadworks from hell as new Forth bridge built

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