This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Future for road bridges
01/03/2006
Scottish Ministers have agreed to start planning for a replacement Forth Crossing at South Queensferry.
It was also decided at this morning's Cabinet meeting in Bute House to abolish tolls on the Erskine Bridge and to reject the Forth Estuary Transport Authority's (FETA) application to raise tolls on the Forth Bridge to £4 at peak times.
The decisions were taken following consideration of the proposals put forward in Phase Two of the Bridges Review, the assessment of the independent audit of the corrosion in the main suspension cable of the Forth Road Bridge and the application from FETA to raise the tolls on the Forth Bridge.
Transport Minister Tavish Scott said:
"The Bridges Review focused on the Tay, Forth and Erskine bridges. Each bridge has its own unique circumstances - different traffic patterns and levels of congestion. No one size fits all approach is therefore viable, hence today's decisions for the three bridges.
"Cabinet today agreed we need to start planning now for a replacement Firth of Forth crossing given the findings of corrosion in the Forth Road Bridge. There are no immediate safety concerns - but there are two potential long-term problems.
"Our most optimistic timeframe for replacing the crossing is 2014, if planning work starts now. But that planning may prove unnecessary, because at this point we don't have all the answers."
Phase One of the Tolled Bridges Review looked at how tolls impact on our environmental and economic objectives of reducing pollution and congestion. This showed that the removal of tolls on the Skye Bridge would have no adverse traffic or environmental effects. Skye Tolls were lifted on December 21, 2004.
Phase Two of the Review considered the wider issues of bridge management and operation. It also considered the role of Erskine in the context of congestion and traffic management to the west of Glasgow and in the city centre and in the East, the role Forth and Tay play in addressing local congestion issues.
A copy of the full report of the Review will also be available on the website later this month.