Forth Road Bridge Closed Until New Year

The Forth Road Bridge is to shut until the New Year for repairs following the discovery of defective steelwork.

The Scottish Government say that every effort is being made to minimise disruption. Following a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Committee (SGoRR), chaired by the First Minister, the decision to close has been taken after inspections carried out by specialist engineers and following advice and assessment of the fault by independent experts.

Work is already under way to repair the Forth Road Bridge (FRB) and this will be done as quickly as possible with a view that it will be reopened to traffic to allow it to be used for the return to work in January. 

Additional rail capacity was put on overnight and a full travel plan is being prepared for the duration of the closure. This will include further additional rail services. All other options are being explored including a dedicated bus corridor with park and ride facilities and passenger ferry services across the Forth.

SGoRR will continue to meet over the weekend and further updates will be provided and a dedicated webpage for travel information will be created.

In the meantime, the Scottish Government encourage people carefully consider their travel plans and whether journeys are necessary and urge them to check conditions before they set-out and look at options like car-sharing and public transport alternatives.

Emergency vehicles will still be able to use the FRB in bluelight situations.

Transport Minister Derek MacKay said:

“The decision to close the Forth Road Bridge is not taken lightly. It is based on the expert opinion of the engineers who operate the bridge day to day and that of independent experts in the field.

“Every effort is being made to open the bridge as quickly as possible but safety is the main priority, however these works are weather dependent given the height and location of the bridge. We are aware of the potential economic impact, for strategic traffic in the east of Scotland and on people living in local communities.

"This is an unprecedented challenge in the maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge. On balance, following advice from engineers and independent experts, the full closure is essential for the safety of the travelling public and to prevent further damage to the structure of the bridge.

“The bridge operators Amey have a robust inspection team in place and these defects are problems that have only occurred in the last number of weeks.

“We are taking every step we can to lessen the impact of this closure. Action now, will mean that any closure is much shorter than it might be if we waited. We continue to work closely with all partners to co-ordinate our efforts to lessen the impact of this closure. Additional bus and rail services are being provided between Fife and Edinburgh. Every effort and resource available is being deployed to repair the damage to the Forth Road Bridge and minimise the disruption to the public.”

Chartered Engineer Mark Arndt, Amey's Account Director responsible for the bridge said:

"This is a complex engineering challenge. The component failure is in a difficult to access location and our response is also highly dependent on weather conditions.

Commenting on the closure of the Forth Road Bridge, Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Claire Baker said:

“Clearly we can’t take any risks with safety and its important that the work is carried out on the bridge as quickly and effectively as possible to ensure there isn’t further delay.

“I understand that this will have a huge impact on commuters and businesses, particularly over the difficult Christmas period. That is why I will be seeking a statement from the Scottish Government on this in Parliament on Tuesday.”

Also commenting, Willie Rennie, Fife MSP and leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats said:

“People living in Edinburgh and Fife now face the prospect of weeks of disruption. This is the last thing that we needed to see in the run in to Christmas. Safety must come first, but this extended closure will cause huge inconvenience and impact on families and businesses alike.

“We need to be reassured that everything is being done to manage the disruption as best possible. That starts with the publication of Transport Scotland’s full contingency plans.

"We must assume that Transport Scotland had a detailed plan for when the bridge would close for extended periods of time. This would cover issues like additional train carriages, diversion routes, communication with the public and so on.  Considering the length of this closure I think it is only right that users of the bridge are able to examine the plan.  That's why I am calling for it to be published today.

"We also need to know how we have ended up in a situation where we have been forced to close the bridge for weeks on end while extensive repairs are carried out. I do not doubt the commitment and skill of the engineers working on the bridge but if things were missed, we need to know about it. This starts with the publication of the inspection regime."