Forth Road Bridge Remains Closed

Travel disruption expected

Commuters on both sides of the Forth are bracing themselves for a lengthy journey to work tomorrow.

ScotRail says it's putting on an additional 6,500 seats to ease disruption. Extra buses will also run, but will only travel as far as Halbeath before diverting via Kincardine. There was 7 miles of queueing traffic from Cairneyhill roundabout on Friday morning following the full closure put in place at midnight. 

A contraflow system was put in place following the discovery of a fracture in the steel work. It was later announced the crossing would be closed until January for emergency repairs. 

Transport Minister Derek Mackay has said it would need at least three weeks to repair the bridge as safety was "paramount".

At a media conference, engineers said a 20mm-wide crack in a truss under the southbound carriageway close to the bridge's north tower could not have been predicted and happened quickly.

They added continuing to allow traffic to use the bridge would "increase the risk of causing extensive secondary damage to the structure".