Forth Road Bridge

The Forth Road Bridge, viewed from the Fife side, straddling the Firth of Forth.
Official name	Forth Road Bridge
Carries	Motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians
Crosses	Firth of Forth
Locale	{{{locale}}}
Maintained by	{{{maint}}}
ID number	{{{id}}}
Design	Suspension bridge
Longest span	1006 m (3298 ft)
Total length	2512 m (8242 ft)
Width	Dual two-lane carriageway, two cycle/footpaths (total width 33 m)
Vertical clearance	{{{clearance}}}
Clearance below	44.3 m
Average Daily Traffic	~32,000 vehicles (2004 estimate)
Opening date	September 4, 1964
Destruction date	{{{closed}}}
Toll	Motorcycles - free Cars - £1 Goods vehicles - £2
{{{map_cue}}} {{{map_text}}}	[[Image:{{{map_image}}}|{{{map_width}}}| ]]
Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS)	{{{coordinates}}}
Maps and aerial photos Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps Topographic map from TopoZone Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth

The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, built in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh at South Queensferry to Fife at North Queensferry. The toll bridge replaced a centuries-old ferry service to carry vehicular traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians across the Forth; rail crossings are made by the adjacent and historic Forth Bridge. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 1420 KB) Summary The Forth Road Bridge from the north bank, taken 27th June 2005 at 21:35 by Euchiasmus (me) - late evening sunshine. ... Fife (Fìobh in Gaelic) is a council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with landward boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. ... The Firth of Forth from Calton Hill The Forth Bridges cross the Firth The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotlands River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh, and East Lothian to... The Firth of Forth from Calton Hill The Forth Bridges cross the Firth The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotlands River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh, and East Lothian to... The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) is a database, compiled by the Federal Highway Administration, with information on all bridges and tunnels in the United States that have roads passing above or below. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been made since ancient times. ... This early German Autobahn uses a dual carriageway design. ... September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically); large version (pdf) The geographic (earth-mapping) coordinate system expresses every horizontal position on Earth by two of the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system which is aligned with the spin axis of the Earth. ... GPS satellite in orbit, image courtesy of NASA GPS redirects here. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been made since ancient times. ... The Scottish Lowlands, although not officially a geographical area of the country, in normal usage is generally meant to include those parts of Scotland not referred to as the Highlands (or Gàidhealtachd), that is, everywhere due south and east of a line (the Highland Boundary Fault) between Stonehaven and... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... The Firth of Forth from Calton Hill The Forth Bridges cross the Firth The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotlands River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh, and East Lothian to... Edinburgh (pronounced ), Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic, is the second-largest city in Scotland and its capital city. ... Queensferry (often referred to as South Queensferry to distinguish it from North Queensferry), originally a Royal Burgh in West Lothian is now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Fife (Fìobh in Gaelic) is a council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with landward boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. ... North Queensferry is a town in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth, between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge. ... Paying toll on passing a bridge. ... Forth Bridge from the north For the nearby road bridge, see Forth Road Bridge. ...

Issues regarding the continued tolling of the bridge, and those over its deteriorating condition and proposals to have it replaced or supplemented by an additional crossing, have caused it to become something of a political football for the Scottish Parliament. President Harrison political cartoon: What can I do when both parties insist on kicking? A political football is a term used to describe a political topic or issue that is continually debated but left unresolved. ... For the national legislative body adjourned in 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. ...

History

The first crossing at what is now the site of the bridge was established in the 11th century by Margaret, queen consort of King Malcolm III, who founded a ferry service to transport religious pilgrims from Edinburgh to Dunfermline Abbey and St Andrews.^[1] Its creation gave rise to the port towns which remain to this day, and the service remained in uninterrupted use as a passenger ferry for over eight hundred years. As early as the 1740s there were proposals for a road crossing at the site, although their viability was only considered following the construction of the first Forth bridge in 1890.^[2] Stained glass window image of Saint Margaret of Scotland in the small chapel at Edinburgh Castle Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. ... King George V of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Mary A queen consort is the wife and consort of a reigning king. ... King Malcolm III of Scotland (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada), (1031 – November 13, 1093) also known as Ceann Mór (Anglicized as Canmore) meaning Big Head in the then Scottish language. ... Dunfermline Abbey and Church - illustration from Cassells History of England circa 1902 Dunfermline Abbey is the remains of a great Benedictine abbey founded in 1070 by Queen Margaret, wife of Malcolm Canmore and granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, King of England. ... Named after Saint Andrew the Apostle, the Royal Burgh of St Andrews is a town on the east coast of Fife, Scotland, and the home of golf. ...

The importance of the crossing to vehicular traffic was underpinned when the Great Britain road numbering scheme was drawn up in the 1920s. The planners wished the arterial A9 road to be routed across the Forth here, although the unwillingness to have a ferry crossing as part of this route led to the A90 number being assigned instead.^[3] Great Britain has many ancient roads and trackways dating back not only to the Roman occupation of southern Britain but to much earlier times, including the oldest engineered road to be discovered anywhere in the world: the Sweet Track dating from the 3800s BC. With the advent of the motor... The A9 north of Brora The A9 is a major road running from the Falkirk area in the south of Scotland to Thurso in the far north, via Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Perth and Inverness. ... The A90 is a major road in Scotland. ...

There was a period of renewed lobbying for a road crossing in the 1920s and 1930s, at which time the only vehicle crossing was a single passenger and vehicle ferry. Sir William Denny championed the expansion of that service in the 1930s, providing and operating two additional ferries on behalf of the London and North Eastern Railway that aimed to supplement the services of the adjacent railway bridge. Their success allowed for the addition of two more craft in the 1940s and 1950s^[4], by which time the ferries were making 40,000 crossings, carrying 1.5 million passengers and 800,000 vehicles annually.^[5] The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second-largest of the Big Four railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. ...

With the then-newest and nearest bridge spanning the Forth (the Kincardine Bridge, built in 1936) still around fifteen miles upstream, the upsurge in demand for a road crossing between Edinburgh and Fife prompted the UK government establish the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board by Act of Parliament in 1947 to oversee the implementation of a new bridge to replace the ferry service. The final construction plan was accepted in February 1958 and work began later that year. The Kincardine Bridge on the River Forth. ... Her Majestys Government (or His Majestys Government) (HMG) is the formal mode of address given to a government in a kingdom where executive authority is vested in the monarch and exercised in theory on his or her behalf by his/her government, hence the term. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ...

Mott, Hay and Anderson and Freeman Fox & Partners designed and constructed the bridge at a cost of £11.5 million, while the total cost of the project including road connections and realignments was £19.5 million. Seven lives were lost during construction before the bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on 4 September 1964.^[6] The ferry service was discontinued as of that date. The bridge's management was delegated to the FRBJB, and remained so until 2002 when its operation was transferred to a new body with a wider remit, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority.^[7] Mott MacDonald is a UK based multi-disciplinary management, engineering and development consultancy. ... Kevin Hyder Consulting is a planning, engineering, environmental and management consultancy that works in the public and private sectors to develop complex buildings and infrastructure. ... Elizabeth II (née Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms (and has previously been Queen of sixteen others). ... The Duke of Edinburgh The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) (born 10 June 1921) is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. ... September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... The Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) is the authority responsible for the maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge over the Firth of Forth in eastern central Scotland. ...

Statistics

High-tensile wires suspending the deck of the northbound carriageway.

The bridge's central main span is 1006 m (3298 ft) long, its two side spans are each 408 m (1338 ft) long, and the approach viaducts are 252 m (827 ft) on the north side and 438 m (1437 ft) on the south side; at a total length of 2512 m (8242 ft), it was the longest suspension bridge outwith the United States and the fourth-largest in the world at the time of its construction. The bridge comprises of 39,000 tons of steel and 115,000 cubic metres of concrete. Its width comprises a dual carriageway road with two lanes in each direction bounded by cycle/footpaths on each side. The main strung cables are 590 mm in diameter and each carries 13,800 tonnes of the bridge's load by suspending 11,618 5 mm diameter high tensile wires.^[8][9] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1728, 1915 KB) Forth Road Bridge, northwest of Edinburgh, over the Firth of Forth July 12, 2005 Copyright © 2005 David Monniaux File links The following pages link to this file: Forth Road Bridge ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1728, 1915 KB) Forth Road Bridge, northwest of Edinburgh, over the Firth of Forth July 12, 2005 Copyright © 2005 David Monniaux File links The following pages link to this file: Forth Road Bridge ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Placing a concrete floor for a commercial building. ... This early German Autobahn uses a dual carriageway design. ...

The bridge forms a crucial part of the corridor between south-east and north-east Scotland, linking Edinburgh to Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen by the A90 road and its sister M90 motorway which begins at the bridge's northern terminus. The bridge carried around 2.5 million vehicles in its first year but this figure has risen steadily over time to around 11.8 million vehicles in 2004. The bridge carried its 250 millionth vehicle in 2002.^[10] The Royal Burgh of Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh in central Scotland. ... The Royal Burgh of Dundee (Gaelic: Dùn Dèagh) is Scotlands fourth largest city, population 154,674 (2001), and one of Scotlands 32 council areas. ... Aberdeens location in Scotland Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain or The Granite City) is Scotlands third largest city, with a population of 212,125, and the greatest part of the unitary council area named the City of Aberdeen, which is surrounded by, but not within, the Aberdeenshire council... The M90 motorway is a major road in Scotland. ...

It was awared Historic Scotland's Category A listed structure status in 2001. Historic Scotland is the Scottish agency looking after historic monuments. ... Buckingham Palace, a Grade I listed building. ...

Tolling issues

The bridge has been tolled since opening to pay for the cost of construction and maintenance. The current toll is £1 for most vehicular traffic, increased from 80p in October 2005.^[11] The toll for buses with over sixteen seats is £1.40, and most goods vehicles pay £2.^[12]

Initially, it was suggested that tolling was to cease once the original cost of construction plus interest accrued was recuperated - this was achieved in 1993 and tolls were slated for removal by May 1995. However, the legislation enabling the levying of tolls has instead been renewed by Parliament (originally that of the UK but now the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament) on three separate occasions in 1998, 2003 and 2006.^[13]

Originally, a toll was paid for each direction of travel with sets of toll booths on both carriageways. In 1997, a decision was made to double the northbound toll (then 40p, to 80p) and remove the southbound toll. The belief was that almost all traffic makes a return journey across the bridge, resulting in a reduction of congestion for southbound traffic without reducing overall toll revenues.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) has justified the continued use of tolls by suggesting they are necessary for a raft of maintenance and improvement works. These include the construction of defences around the submerged piers forming the bases of the main towers in the event of collision in the Firth.^[14] The main towers have also been strengthened with internal steel columns (the original tower structure having been hollow) and had hydraulic rams jack up these sections to transfer a portion of the load to the new steelwork.^[15] Also, the vertical cables suspending the deck have had their bolts replaced after a single detected failure. A new paint system required development for the bridge (the original having been phased out due to environmental concerns)^[16] and the toll plaza and booths have been replaced allowing more comfort for toll-collection staff and the introduction of electronic tolling.

Variable tolling proposals

In late 2005, FETA's committee approved a proposal for a complete revamp of the system of toll levies. The minimum toll would be set to the existing £1 figure, but would increase dependent on the time of day, rising to a maximum of £4 for evening rush hour travel. All tolls would be halved for cars with more than one occupant, as an incentive to drivers to share cars and make fewer journeys. According to FETA's chairman Lawrence Marshall, the system would provide the most efficiency, claiming that 80% of peak-time journeys are made by single-occupant vehicles. The proposal, passed with the chairman's casting vote after the committee was deadlocked, was referred to the Scottish Executive in December 2005, and implementation planned for October 2007 subject to approval by transport minister Tavish Scott. Environmental groups welcomed the proposal, although local politicians condemned it as simply a vehicle for raising capital. At the same time, a counter-argument was tabled by Fife councillors proposing the complete removal of tolls.^[17]. The term Scottish Executive is used in two distinct but closely related senses. ... Tavish Scott (born 6 May 1966) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland, and Minister for Transport. ...

The Scottish Parliament debated the proposals in January 2006, and the affair became a major political issue after Westminster-based MPs Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling (Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Scotland respectively) were seen to describe the variable tolling plan as "dead in the water".^[18] Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell insisted his Labour Party colleagues were misquoted and himself refused to rule out the plan, receiving considerable condemnation from the opposition Scottish National Party.^[19] A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... The Right Honourable Dr. James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a Scottish Labour Party politician. ... Alistair Darling, M.P. The Right Honourable Alistair Maclean Darling (born November 28, 1953) is a British politician. ... The Rt. ... The Secretary of State for Scotland (Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is the chief minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilites for Scotland, at the head of the Scotland Office (formerly The Scottish Office). ... The First Minister (First Meinister in Scots; Prìomh Mhinistear in Scots Gaelic) is the leader of Scotlands national devolved government, the Scottish Executive, which was established in 1999 along with the reconvened Scottish Parliament. ... Jack McConnell The Right Honourable Jack Wilson McConnell MSP (born June 30, 1960 in Irvine, North Ayrshire) is a Scottish politician, leader of the Labour Party in Scotland and the current First Minister of Scotland. ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party of the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) (Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a centre-left political party which campaigns for Scottish independence. ...

The political situation was particularly important given that by late January 2006, campaigning was well underway for a by-election scheduled to take place for the Westminster constituency of Dunfermline and West Fife in which the north end of the bridge is situated. The by-election, scheduled for February 9, was contested by - in addition to the major political parties in Scotland - an Abolish Forth Bridge Tolls Party. It was eventually won by Liberal Democrat candidate Willie Rennie, overturning a large Labour majority on a 16% swing. The Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, in Dunfermline and western Fife, Scotland, was held on February 9, 2006 following the death of sitting Labour MP Rachel Squire on January 6. ... Dunfermline and West Fife is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Abolish Forth Bridge Tolls Party is a single-issue political party in Scotland. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. ... Willie Rennie is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife, winning the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election held on February 9, 2006. ... Swing in a British political context is a mathematical calculation which allows the results of two constituencies to be compared. ...

In the aftermath of the by-election defeat, media speculation suggested the Executive had turned against the proposals, and Tavish Scott eventually confirmed their rejection and the retention of the existing toll structure on March 1. FETA condemned the decision, while local opposition MSPs charged the minister that his tolling review short-changed Fifers as tolls were axed on the Erskine Bridge leaving tolls on only the Forth and Tay Road Bridge, both in Fife.^[20] March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. ... The Erskine Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Clyde in west central Scotland. ... The Tay Road Bridge is a road bridge in Scotland over the River Tay from Newport-on-Tay in the north east of Fife, to the City of Dundee. ...

Structural issues

An inspection of the integrity of the cables underway on the bridge.

There has been concern at FETA over the structural wear-and-tear of the bridge. The planned theoretical capacity for the bridge (30,000 vehicles per day) is routinely exceeded as traffic levels have outstripped predictions. FETA predicts the demand will rise to an average of 40,000 vehicles per day by 2010 and the Scottish Executive admit that 60,000 vehicles is not uncommon for weekday travel. This has raised concerns about the lifespan of the bridge, originally planned at 120 years.^[21][22] Image File history File links Forth_Road_Bridge_cable_inspection. ... Image File history File links Forth_Road_Bridge_cable_inspection. ...

2003 saw an inspection programme launched (at a cost of £1.2 million) to assess the condition of the bridge cables after excessive corrosion was discovered in a number of bridges in the United States of a similar design, size, and era. The study, which was completed in 2004, found that 22 of the high-tensile steel wires are known to have snapped.^[23] There have been allegations of poor workmanship on the bridge which, combined with the adverse weather under which it was constructed, has led to speculation that these steel wires have become crossed instead of being parallel as planned.

Further investigation of the implications of this are underway, with a study using listening devices to monitor any further strands snapping and pinpoint their location within the main cables. The traffic loads and worries over corrosion have halved the bridge's predicted lifespan to just 50-60 years; there are fears a ban on heavy goods traffic will be necessary by 2013, due to the severe stress the traffic loading has on the bridge and internal corrosion of the steel cables. A full closure is feared to be necessary by 2020.^[24]

A number of options are being considered to increase the bridge's lifespan. These include an extensive dehumidification program in the hope of slowing the corrosion rate of the cables. Engineering consultants Faber Maunsell expect to begin work on the project in 2006. The works, if approved, are planned to take two years at a cost of £12 million.^[25] As part of the works, some of the corroded cable strands are to be spliced.^[26] Humidity is the concentration of water vapor in the air. ... Rope splicing is the forming of a semi-permanent join between two ropes or two parts of the same rope by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands. ...

Proposals for a new Forth Road Bridge

The Forth Bridges, with the road bridge crossing to the left of the rail bridge.

With a complete closure of the existing Forth Road Bridge predicted by approximately 2020 without drastic action, there is a threat of serious economic consequences, due to the strategic importance of the bridge in the Scottish transport network and the estimated 10+ year timescale for construction of a replacement.^[27] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x660, 248 KB) Aerial photograph of both bridges across the River Forth in Scotland. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x660, 248 KB) Aerial photograph of both bridges across the River Forth in Scotland. ... Forth Bridge from the north For the nearby road bridge, see Forth Road Bridge. ...

Proposals for an additional road crossing had initially been drawn up in the early 1990s, but met stiff opposition from environmentalists and from Edinburgh City Council on the grounds of the increased traffic it would generate. Following the Labour victory in the 1997 General Election, the proposals were shelved; however, they have resurfaced as of 2005, given the concerns over the existing bridge's lifespan. A new bridge, either as a complement to the existing bridge or as a complete replacement, is now under consideration by FETA, with its cost estimated at £700 million. There remains considerable opposition to the project on the same grounds as before, particularly from the Scottish Green Party.^[28][29] City of Edinburgh (Mòr-bhaile Dhùn Èideann in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland. ... The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... The Scottish Green Party (Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is the Green party of Scotland, and a full member of the European Federation of Green Parties. ...

A decision on the proposal is expected by Easter 2006.^[30]

References

The bridge viewed from the Edinburgh (south) side.

Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 279 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 279 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Forth bridges

• Forth Estuary Transport Authority
• Bridges Visitor Centre Trust - Home Page
• Panoramic view of the road and rail bridges - CamVista.com
• Information and Images of the Forth Ferries