Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge links Fife with Edinburgh and the Lothians. The road itself forms part of the A90.
The Forth Road Bridge opened to traffic in September 1964. It is owned and operated by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority ( FETA), a Joint Board comprising members from the following councils -
- City of Edinburgh
- Fife
- West Lothian
- Perth and Kinross
The Bridge itself carries over 60,000 vehicles a day on more than half the days in the year, and more than 90 per cent of crossings are made by car.
Tolls, charged since its opening, were abolished by the Scottish Government on February 11, 2008.
Maintenance Issues
There has been recent concern about cable corrosion on the Forth Road Bridge. Although there are no immediate safety concerns about the bridge, there are two potential long-term problems. If the corrosion cannot be slowed or halted, based on current information the bridge may have to be closed to heavy goods vehicles at some point between 2013 and 2018 and to cars at some point between 2019 and 2024.
Technical Audit of the Main Cable Inspection and Assessment of the Forth Road Bridge: Final Report
FETA is taking forward further work: the fitting of acoustic monitoring on the bridge cable; installation of a dehumidification system to slow or halt the corrosion; and a study into strengthening or replacing the cable.