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Proposal to build a new Bridge or Tunnel across the Firth of Forth |
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Please click below to read how plans for a new Forth Crossing to replace or augment the Forth Road Bridge. Please scroll down this page, or click on one of the links below: |
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2005 |
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2006 |
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News 1. Proposals - April 2005 |
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Proposal to build a Second Bridge Every few years, we hear of proposals to build a second Forth Bridge. The latest proposals come from FETA (Forth Estuary Transport Authority) who have announced that they intend to press ahead with plans to build a new bridge. They envisage that the cost might be £640m and that tolls on the existing bridge may have to be raised from £1 to about £3 for a return crossing, to pay for the new bridge. It is expected that if a second bridge were to be built it would be to the west of the current bridge and would it would be designed with dedicated bus lanes and the ability to carry trams as well as road traffic. Opponents claim that a 2nd bridge would be likely to increase the number of cars travelling to and from Edinburgh and the associated congestion. Fife Council is in favour of a 2nd bridge. Conservation groups in Edinburgh and all of Edinburgh's Councillors oppose the proposals. The bridge would need the backing of the Scottish Executive before it could be built.
Edinburgh Evening News: 29 April 2005, pp. 1, 2. |
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News 2. Proposals - May 2005 |
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How long will the present Forth Bridge survive? It was announced on 4 May 2005 that during recent inspection of the bridge, corrosion had been found in the main cables of the existing Forth Bridge. The bridge was opened in 1964 with an expected life of 120 years. A full inspection of the cables is required before the extent of the damage is known, but there is now some concern that the bridge may last for only another 20 years. The bridge initially carried 4 million vehicles a year. Now the traffic has increased to 24 million vehicles a year. Strong views have been expressed about the probable extent of any damage by both sides - those in favour of and against a new bridge. A full report on the condition of the cables is due to be published in 2006. It has been estimated that if a decision were taken now to build a second bridge, it would be 12 years before it could open.
Edinburgh Evening News: 4 May 2005, pp. 1, 4, 5
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News 3. Update - October 2005 |
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Increasing Traffic The Forth Road Bridge was designed to cope with 12 million vehicles per day. Over the 40 years since it opened in 1964,, traffic has increased from 4 million to 24 million vehicles per year. If a second road bridge is built, it will probably be a short distance to the west of the present Forth Road Bridge. The campaign in favour of a new bridge was given a boost in 2005 when some corrosion was found in the main cables of the present bridge and the bridge operators, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) announced that the bridge might have to close as early as 2013. In November 2005, FETA revised this prediction. This prediction was revised by FETA in November 2005 to "estimated dates of 2014 for heavy vehicles and 2019 for all vehicles." However, on 11 Nov 2005, the Transport Minister, Tavish Scott, said that he would not be rushed into any decision and ordered an independent of the report on the state of the bridge. Edinburgh Evening News: 11 December 2005, p.6 |
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News 4. Updates - January 2006 |
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Escalating Costs Campaign for the new bridge are pressing the Scottish Parliament for a decision. They claim that a decision must be made quickly if escalating costs are to be avoided because they soon expect all available labour to be taken up on projects for the 2012 London Olympics. It is estimated that to build a new bridge now, the cost would be £600m and construction would take 11 years. A report on the state of the existing Forth Road Bridge is due to be given to the Transport Minister at the end of January 2006. Edinburgh Evening News: January 21, 2006: p.11 |
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Labour Party Support Jack McConnell, First Minister in the Scottish Parliament is awaiting the results of an independent report on the state of the Forth Road Bridge before making any decision on the subject of a second bridge across the Forth. However this has not stopped Labour MPs from commenting on the subject. Chancellor Gordon Brown (MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) and Alastair Darling (MP for and Edinburgh South West, Scottish Secretary and Secretary of State for Transport) have both been speaking of the need for a second crossing during their campaigning for the forthcoming by-election in Dunfermline and West Fife. Edinburgh Evening News: January 24, 2006: p.5 |
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News 5. Updates - May 2006 |
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How long will the present bridge survive? - Update Following investigations in 2005, it was thought that the present bridge might have to be closed to lorries by 2013 and to all other traffic by 2019, as a result of "irreversible corrosion" in the main cables. However, following a more detailed study it is now believed that if a solution to the corrosion cannot be found, the bridge may have to be closed to lorries at some time between 2013 and 2018 and to all other traffic at some time between 2019 and 2024.
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A Tunnel? It has been suggested that, rather than build a second bridge at Queensferry at a possible cost of £1 billion, it might be feasible to build an "immersed tube" tunnel across the Firth of Forth at a cost of around £600m. Local politicians, Edinburgh's Chamber of Commerce and Forth Estuaries Transport Authority (FETA) have all said that they would welcome further investigation into the 'tunnel' proposals. Edinburgh Evening News: May 16, 2006: p.6 |
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News 6. Updates - August 2006 |
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A Tunnel under the Forth? A campaign has been launched to build a tunnel under the Firth of Forth, instead of second road bridge over the water. Forth Tunnel Action Group (Forth TAG), is a South Queensferry Acton Group, led by engineer, John Carson, former head of Miller Civil Engineering. The group is lobbying for a 'tube tunnel' to be built in dry dock at Rosyth, then floated and sunk into place. Because of the number of houses around the existing Forth Road Bridge, and for geological reasons, it is suggested that the tunnel should be to the west of the Road Bridge, possibly extending from Pattiesmuir (near Rosyth in Fife) to Philipstoun in West Lothian. Edinburgh Evening News: July 25, 2006: p.6 |
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News 7. Updates - September 2006 |
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New Bridge or Tunnel Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Fife Chamber of Commerce have joined forces in campaigning for a new Forth crossing, a bridge or tunnel, to be built. Edinburgh Evening News: September 20 2006: p.8 |
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News 8. Updates - December 2006 |
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Tunnel gains Support After more than ten years' of pressure for a new crossing of the Firth of Forth between Edinburgh and Fife, the Scottish Executive is expected to make a decision within the next few weeks. Engineers, politicians, motoring groups and business leaders are all now thought to favour a tunnel. Forth Estuary Transport Authority (currently responsible for the operation of the Forth Road Bridge) and the Labour leadership are believed to oppose the idea. It is estimated that a "tube tunnel" could be built for £480m. Similar tunnels are also proposed under the Tyne in England and under the Shannon in Ireland. The building of a second crossing, whether bridge or tunnel would cause concern to some over the amount of additional traffic that might be generated, particularly in West Edinburgh. Edinburgh Evening News: December 2006 |
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News 9. Updates - February 2007 |
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Technical Report - Corrosion Transport Scotland technical reports published on February 14 have revealed: - The main cables of the Forth Bridge have lost between 8% and 10% of their strength due to corrosion - If this rate of corrosion continues, the cables may fall below an acceptable safety level by |
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Scottish Parliament Support for a New Crossing Transport Minister, Tavish Scott has announced: - The Scottish Executive's will support a new crossing. - A decision on the final design and route will be announced in Summer 2007. Structures suggested are: - A new suspension bridge to the west of the current bridge. This is currently the favoured option. It may take up to 6 years to build. - A cable stay bridge. This may take up to 5 1/2 years to build. - A tunnel. This may take about 7 years to build Routes proposed for the new crossing have been narrowed down from five to the following three: - West route: from an area to the east of Limekilns in Fife to a point west of Hopeton. - Central route: close to, and to the west of, the existing Road Bridge, joining the southern shore of the Firth of Forth at Port Edgar, - East route: from the Inverkeithing area of Fife to the Dalmeny area.
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Edinburgh Evening News: January February 15, 2007: p.8 AND Metro February 15, 2007, p.4 |
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News 10. Update - April 2007 |
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Petition against a New Crossing About 400 residents in Queensferry have signed a petition calling for a tunnel to be built instead of a bridge. Another 400 have signed a petition calling for neither to be built. They have expressed concern about the visual impact of a new bridge, disturbance during its construction and the amount of extra traffic that it would be likely to generate. Edinburgh Evening News: April 3, 2007, p3. |
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News 11. Update - June 2007 |
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A Bridge Scottish Parliament Ministers are expected to announce in Parliament, next week, that the Forth crossing is to be a bridge, not a tunnel, because geological problems and safety restrictions on gradients would mean that the tunnel would have to emerge much futher inland. Edinburgh Evening News: June 22, 2007, pp1-2. |
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News 12. Update - July 2007 |
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Port Edgar Marina Officials of the Port Edgar Yacht Club have expressed concern that if a new bridge is built across the Forth to the west of the existing Forth Road Bridge, this could scupper plans for a £15m development at Port Edgar. Edinburgh City Council had previously been looking for a developer who would work with them to build several hundred new houses on neighbouring land, build new piers and training rooms, and increase the number of berths at Port Edgar from 320 to 500. Edinburgh Evening News: July 7, 2007, p.10 |
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News 13. Update - August 2007 |
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A Bridge or Tunnel? John Swinney, Finance Secretary, denied that any final decision had been made on whether a bridge or tunnel should be built. He said that a final decision will be made by the Scottish Parliament's Executive in Autumn 2007. An exhibition of the options is to be on display at several locations in Edinburgh. For further details see the Forth Replacement Crossing web site. Edinburgh Evening News: August 21, 2007, p6. |
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A Tunnel? In Queensferry, campaigners for a tunnel claim to have surveyed 216 people as they left the Forth Replacement Crossing exhibition and found 85% of those leaving the exhibition to be in favour of a tunnel. Transport Scotland has recommended building a bridge. This might cost £1.7bn and take 6 years to build. The exhibition estimates that a tunnel might cost up to £2.3bn and take up to 7.5 years to build. Edinburgh Evening News: August 30, 2007, p12. |
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News 14. Update - September 2007 |
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Campaigns Discussions continue as the most appropriate new crossing (if any) over the Firth of Forth, ahead of - A west Fife-based group, 'Stay on Forth' has been set up campaigning for people to accept the recommendations of Transport Scotland that a suspension bridge costing £1.7 billion should be built. They claim that the case being presented by the tunnel campaigners, 'Forth TAG' has been misleading. - A third group (no name given) is expected to b e launched next week, campaigning for improved public transport, rather than any new Forth crossing. Edinburgh Evening News: September 10, 2007, p8. |
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News 15. Update - December 2007 |
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Approval Finance Minister, John Swinney, yesterday gave approval to a new cable stayed-style bridge to be built to the west of the Forth Road Bridge at a cost of between £3.2bn and £4.2 bn. It is scheduled to open in 2016. £453m of the new bridge budget has been set aside for light rail, guided bus and high occupancy vehicle lanes. Temporary Ferry MSP Alex Johnstone, Tory transport spokesman, said that he had been in discussion with ferry operators to see if they would be able to provide a temporary ferry service to Fife for heavy goods vehicles in the event of the Forth Road Bridge being closed to these vehicles before the new bridge opens. There have been fears that the Forth Road Bridge might have to be closed to heavy goods vehicles as early as 2013. A ferry might operate between Portobello and Kirkcaldy, or could use the ports of Leith or Rosyth. Edinburgh Evening News: December 20, 2007, p9 |
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News 16. Update - June 2008 |
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Forth Road Bridge - Condition A new report from FETA (Forth Estuary Transport Authority) reveals that the Forth Road Bridge is not so badly corroded as had been feared. It should now be possible to keep the bridge open to heavy goods vehicles until at least 2017. A dehumidification system is due to be installed in an attempt to halt the corrosion of the cables. If this attempt fails, it is expected that weight restrictions will need to be imposed on the bridge some time between 2017 and 2021. |
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New Road Bridge Construction of a new road bridge is due to begin in 2011. The bridge is due to be completed in 2016. |
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Edinburgh Evening News: June 18, 2008: p.9. |
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News 17. Update - December 2008 |
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A Narrower Bridge The Scottish Parliament has released revised plans for a new bridge. They now propose a narrower bridge with two lanes in each direction. It would be used by cars and HGVs. Buses, cyclists and walkers would have to continue using the existing bridge. Making the bridge narrower approximately halves the expected cost of the bridge, reducing the likely cost to the range 1.72 bn to 2.34 bn. The Metro: December 11, 2008: p.27. Edinburgh Evening News: January 8, 2009 (comment on the bridge) |
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News 18. Update - February 2009 |
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A New Bridge? Plans for a new bridge across the Forth were revealed by the Scottish Government in December 2008, but Edinburgh City Council bosses have criticised the government for lack of consultation. The council's Director of Development, Dave Anderson has submitted a report to councillors. This calls for a decision on whether or not to build a new bridge to be deferred until 2011, by which time it will be known whether or not the dehumidification work on the current bridge is successful. However, the Scottish Parliament wishes to continue to press ahead with the new bridge, arguing that 2011 will be too late to take a decision. Edinburgh Evening News: June 18, 2008: p.9. |
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News 19. Update - September 2009 |
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Scottish Parliament Bill New Bill Announced The Scottish Government, today, released its program for legislation for the coming year. First Minister, Alex Salmond announced that one of the 13 proposed new laws would pave the way for a new bridge, at a cost of between £1.8bn and £2.2bn, due to be completed by 2016. Edinburgh Evening News: September 3, 2009, p.2 New Bill Criticised Labour Transport Spokesman, Des McNulty, said there were still too many unresolved issues over the proposed new bridge, including: - How would it be financed? - Why does in not now include a light rail or public transport lane? - What is the long term future of the existing Forth Road Bridge? Edinburgh Evening News: October 12, 2009, pp.1-2 |
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News 20 Update - October 2009 |
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Cost (£2bn) Cost to be Investigated The Transport and Finance committees of the Scottish Parliament have both been asked to investigate how Transport Scotland has calculated a £2bn cost for the new Forth crossing, making it one of the most expensive crossing in the world. Conservative, Labour and Green Party MSPs are all quoted expressing concern over the costs. The City of Edinburgh council has previously suggested that any decision should be put off until 2011, when it will be known whether or not the the dehumidification work on the existing Forth Road Bridge has successfully extended its lifespan. A recent study was quoted , in which the the average cost of major road bridges around the world was less than £200,000 a meter, compared to £750,000 a meter for the new Forth Road Bridge. Transport Scotland has responded saying that their estimated costs allow for the large spans required over the shipping lanes in the Forth and allow for the infrastructure cost of associated new roads. Edinburgh Evening News: October 12, 2009, pp.1-2. Funding Scottish Parliament's First Minister, Alex Salmond, had asked the British Government to allow Scottish capital expenditure for future years to be brought forward in order to help finance the new crossing. The British Government has turned down this request, but Alex Salmond is now hoping that a block of 20 SNPs in the next British Parliament, particularly if there is a hung parliament, might be able to influence the government to change its mind. Edinburgh Evening News: October 17, 2009, pp.1-2 |
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News 21. Update - November 2009 |
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Opposition to the New Bridge Yesterday, the Scottish Parliament published the Bill for the proposed new bridge over the Forth, a 2.7km cable-stayed bridge with three mono-towers, having 2 lanes in each direction and hard shoulders. This publication comes amid some growing opposition. Friends of the Earth and the Greens are amongst those claiming that the new £2bn will turn out to be a costly mistake. Concern over the cost of the bridge has also been expressed by: - Labour transport spokesman, Charlie Gordon - Tory transport spokesmen, Alex Johnstone. - Edinburgh West Lib Dem MSP, Margaret Smith, whose constituency includes South Queensferry
Some early estimates of the cost of the new bridge had been as high as £4bn, but the Government halved this by: - cutting the number of lanes in each direction from 3 to 2 - designating the existing bridge for public transport use, rather than incorporate bus lanes or trams into the new crossing. - dropping the proposal for a direct link to the M9 motorway, bypassing Newton village, so leaving concerns about the levels of traffic. Edinburgh Evening News: November 18, 2009. |
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Forth Road Bridge Tolls and Road Works |