Queensferry Crossing

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Queensferry Crossing
West Lothian, Fife
Queensferry Bridge 2 (36766036234).jpg
The Queensferry Crossing in November 2017
Location
Carrying: M90 motorway
Crossing: Firth of Forth
Location
Location: 56°0’17"N, 3°24’45"W
Structure
Length: 2,950 yards
Main span: 710 yards
Design: Cable-stayed bridge
History
Built 2011-2017
Information

The Queensferry Crossing (formerly the Forth Replacement Crossing) is a road bridge carrying the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth between South Queensferry in West Lothian, and North Queensferry in Fife.[1] It was built alongside the existing Forth Road Bridge.

Proposals for a second Forth Road crossing were first put forward in the 1990s. But no action was taken until structural issues were discovered in 2004. In 2006-2007 Transport Scotland carried out a study to examine the options and in December 2007, the decision was made to proceed with a replacement bridge.[2] The following year it was announced that the existing bridge would be retained as a public transport link. The Forth Crossing Act received Royal Assent in January 2011.[3] In April 2011, the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors Consortium were awarded the contract and construction began in late Summer/Autumn of 2011.[4]

The Queensferry Crossing is a three-tower cable-stayed bridge, with an overall length of 1.7 miles.[5] Around 2½ miles of new connecting roads were built,[6] including new and upgraded junctions at Ferrytoll in Fife, South Queensferry and Junction 1A on the M9.

The bridge was first due to be completed by December 2016, but this deadline was extended to August 2017 after several delays.[7] It is the third bridge across the Forth at Queensferry, alongside the Forth Road Bridge completed in 1964, and the Forth Bridge completed in 1890. Following a public vote, it was formally named on 26 June 2013 and opened to traffic on 30 August 2017. The official opening was carried out on 4 September 2017 by Queen Elizabeth II, fifty-three years to the day after she opened the adjacent Forth Road Bridge.[8]

Background

A crossing route over the Forth had existed at the site since the eleventh century, when the queen of Scotland, Margaret, founded a free ferry to take pilgrims north to St Andrews.[9] The site of the ferry crossing became the location of the Forth Road Bridge, which opened in 1964. Proposals for an additional road crossing at Queensferry were drawn up in the early 1990s, as part of the "Setting Forth" consultation document prepared by the Scottish Office.[10] The plans met stiff opposition from environmentalists and from the City of Edinburgh Council on the grounds of the increased traffic. Following the Labour victory in the 1997 general election, the proposals were shelved.[11]

An inspection of the integrity of the cables under way on the Forth Road Bridge

The existing bridge had a planned design life of 120 years,[12] but by the early years of the 21st century the planned theoretical capacity for the bridge was being routinely exceeded. It was designed for up to 11 million vehicles per year, but this had risen steadily to 23 million vehicles in 2006.[13] Between 2003 and 2005, an inspection programme found that the main suspension cables had suffered an estimated 8–10% loss of strength as a result of corrosion. Projections highlighted the likelihood of an accelerating loss of strength, with traffic restrictions to limit loading required in 2014 in the worst-case scenario.[14]

The strategic transport importance of the road bridge – and the threat of closure by 2019 if major structural work was not successful – led to fears of serious economic consequences, especially as work on a new crossing was estimated to take up to 11 years.[15] Scottish Transport Minister Nicol Stephen commissioned a new study, which priced a second Forth Road Bridge at £300 million, in 2003.[11] The Forth Estuary Transport Authority voiced support for a new bridge in 2005,[16] and in 2006 the UK Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, spoke in favour of the idea.[17]

Planning

In 2007, the Forth Replacement Crossing Study was commissioned by Transport Scotland to examine various options for new bridges or tunnels across the Forth.[18] The report recommended adoption of a cable-stayed bridge, located to the west of the Forth Road Bridge, as the preferred solution. The study concluded that this option was significantly cheaper than a tunnel, would take less time to construct, and would represent better value for money, though it was noted that a tunnel would have fewer environmental impacts.[19] In December 2007 finance secretary John Swinney announced that a new cable-stayed bridge would be constructed, with an estimated cost of between £3.25 billion and £4.22 billion. He claimed it would be "the largest construction project in a generation in Scotland".[20]

There was opposition to the project on environmental, traffic and cost grounds. The ForthRight Alliance, an umbrella group including Friends of the Earth, the Scottish Green Party, the RSPB, sustainable transport groups and other local organisations, opposed the scheme as being "both unwelcome and unnecessary".[21] Another group, Forth Tunnel Action Group, campaigned for a tunnel as the solution with lowest costs and fewest long-term environmental impacts.[22]

It was initially suggested that the new bridge would be funded via the Scottish Futures Trust, an alternative to public-private partnership funding for major public-sector schemes. However, the Scottish Government announced in December 2008 that public funding would be used.[23] As part of the Scottish Government's Strategic Transport Projects Review, the new Forth crossing was priced at between £1.72 billion and £2.34 billion.[24] Under the revised scheme, the existing bridge will be retained for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians, and the new bridge was to be operational by 2016.[23]

A joint venture between consultancies Arup and Jacobs was appointed as project manager, and in February 2008 environmental and technical studies were begun, continuing through 2009. Public consultations were held, and some changes to the scheme were made in response to the comments received.[25] An environmental statement was published in November 2009,[26] coinciding with the introduction of the Forth Crossing Bill into the Scottish Parliament by John Swinney. A majority of MSPs voted in favour of the new legislation on 16 December 2010,[27] and the Forth Crossing Act received Royal Assent in January 2011.[28]

Bidding process

In 2009, Transport Scotland solicited for tenders to construct the proposed bridge.[29] Although Transport Scotland received 39 expressions of interest, concerns over the risks associated with the fixed-price contract resulted in only two consortia of large construction companies bidding.[30] Due to the bidders' concerns that the bidding process itself would prove to be an expensive proposition, the Scottish Government allocated £10 million to defray the bidders' costs during the full bidding process, should the project be abandoned.[30]

The two consortia were Forthspan, which included Morgan Sindall, BAM Nuttall and Balfour Beatty; and Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC), which consists of Dragados, Hochtief, American Bridge, and Morrison Construction.[31] Bids for the main contract, priced at between £900m and £1.2bn, and including design and construction of the bridge and approach roads,[31] were submitted in January 2011.[29] In March 2011 the Scottish Government announced FCBC as preferred bidder, with a bid of £790 million.[32]

Construction

Queensferry Crossing under construction in 2016
The Queensferry Crossing in March 2017

Preparatory works for the new bridge began in September 2011 with works beginning at the southern end of the M90 to build the northern approach roads. 149 segments of bridge deck, each of which is 39.4 feet (12.0 m) long and 131.2 feet (40.0 m) wide, were constructed in China and Spain, then delivered by sea in October 2013.[33] The approach steel bridge sections were manufactured by Cleveland Bridge UK in Darlington.[34]

The towers reached 525 feet (160 m) in height in August 2015, making it the UK's tallest bridge.[35] The completed towers stand at 679.1 feet (207.0 m).[35]

On 28 April 2016, one construction worker was killed and another injured in an accident involving a crane. Work on the bridge was halted to allow an investigation to take place.[36][37]

The bridge was due to be completed by December 2016, but that date was put back to May 2017 due to weather delays slowing construction,[38] with 25 days lost due to high winds during April and May 2016.[39] An additional delay was announced in March 2017 again due to weather (more specifically, high winds) and an estimation period of six weeks in July / August 2017 was proposed.[40]

The bridge opened on 30 August 2017 and formally opened by the Queen on 4 September 2017.[41]

The bridge

The Beamer Rock, prior to removal of the lighthouse to make way for the bridge

The bridge is a cable-stayed structure, with three towers each 679.1 feet (207.0 m) high.[33] Including approaches, the overall length of the bridge is 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres); at opening, it is the longest triple tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.[42] The bridge carries motor-cycles, cars and heavy goods vehicles, while public transport, cyclists and pedestrians use the existing bridge. Wind shielding has been built into the design, to enable use of the bridge in high winds, which regularly led to restrictions on the existing bridge.[43]

The bridge is the third crossing of the Forth at Queensferry, alongside the Forth Road Bridge, completed in 1964, and the Forth Bridge, a railway bridge completed in 1890. It is sited west of the road bridge, with the northern landfall at St Margaret's Hope, between Rosyth Dockyard and North Queensferry and the southern landfall just west of Port Edgar in South Queensferry. The central tower was constructed on the Beamer Rock, a small islet in the Forth [44]. The project was known as the Forth Replacement Crossing, and a name for the new bridge was selected in a public vote in 2013 after a panel of independent advisers provided a shortlist of possible names.[45][46] A short-list of five names were selected, these were Caledonia Bridge, Firth of Forth Crossing, Queensferry Crossing, Saltire Crossing and St Margaret's Crossing. A public vote was held up until 7 June 2013 and the Queensferry Crossing name received the most votes, with 12,039 (of 37,000) votes (32%) in a public poll.[47]

Archaeological finds

Recreation of the Mesolithic sunken-floored building from Echline field

During routine archaeological excavations by Headland Archaeology in advance of work on the new bridge archaeological deposits from the Mesolithic were found on both sides of the Forth.[48]

On the northern side two post built structures and their surrounding pits and were dated to the mid to late Mesolithic period.

On the south bank in a field at Echline the remnants of a sunken floor structure with in situ floor deposits was found. The structure, based around an oval pit approximately 23 ft in length, contained the remains of a hearth, stone tools, and bone from a variety of animals. Radio-carbon analysis returned a date of c.8300, approximately 1000 years older than the northern site, making it the earliest known dwelling in Scotland. Additionally three isolated Neolithic pits and a Bronze Age pit group and pit alignment were identified.[49] [50]

Outside links

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References

  1. ↑ "Queensferry crossing 'could last 150 years'". 2017-08-27. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41036412. Retrieved 2017-08-27. 
  2. ↑ "Origin and early development | The Forth Bridges" (in en-GB). https://www.theforthbridges.org/queensferry-crossing/history/origin-and-early-development/. Retrieved 2018-01-22. 
  3. ↑ "Forth Crossing Bill". 2010-08-12. http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/22080.aspx. Retrieved 2018-01-22. 
  4. ↑ "Procurement and construction | The Forth Bridges" (in en-GB). https://www.theforthbridges.org/queensferry-crossing/history/procurement-and-construction/. Retrieved 2018-01-22. 
  5. ↑ "Transport Scotland The Queensferry Crossing". Transport Scotland. 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140416032653/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy/forth-bridges/forth-replacement-crossing. Retrieved 22 February 2014. 
  6. ↑ "Transport Scotland The Queensferry Crossing". Transport Scotland. 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140118215339/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/projects/forth-replacement-crossing/about-the-scheme/connecting-road-network. Retrieved 22 February 2014. 
  7. ↑ User, Super. "Queensferry Crossing Opening Date Announced" (in en). Forth Bridges Forum - Queensferry Crossing News. http://www.forth-bridges.co.uk/queensferry-crossing/latest-news-queens/250-queensferry-crossing-opening-date-announced.html. Retrieved 2017-06-21. 
  8. ↑ Johnson, Simon (2017-09-04). "Queen opens new Forth crossing 53 years to the day after she opened old road bridge" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. SSN 0307-1235. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/04/queen-opens-new-forth-crossing-53-years-day-opened-old-road/. Retrieved 2018-01-22. 
  9. ↑ Michael Lynch (1992). Scotland: A New History. London: Pimlico, p. 94.
  10. ↑ "Setting Forth: a consultation document on the Firth of Forths transport links". TRID. 1991-11-30. http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=381862. Retrieved 3 May 2012. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "£300m price tag put on bridge to beat gridlock". scotsman.com. 6 June 2004. http://www.scotsman.com/news/163-300m-price-tag-put-on-bridge-to-beat-gridlock-1-1394832. 
  12. ↑ "FAQs". Forth Estuary Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120616112553/http://www.forthroadbridge.org/about-us/about-us-faqs. Retrieved 3 May 2012. 
  13. ↑ "Firms told time running out on Forth Road Bridge". The Scotsman. 7 October 2006. http://www.scotsman.com/business/transport/firms-told-time-running-out-on-forth-road-bridge-1-1143506. 
  14. ↑ Barry R Colford & Charles P E Cocksedge (2006). "Forth Road Bridge – First internal inspection, strength evaluation, acoustic monitoring and dehumidification of the main cables". http://www.forthroadbridge.org/sites/default/files/documents/firstinsp.pdf. Template:Dead link
  15. ↑ "Time running out for new bridge – News". scotsman.com. 2006-01-26. http://www.scotsman.com/news/time_running_out_for_new_bridge_1_689752. 
  16. ↑ "Vote favours 'new Forth Bridge'". BBC News. 29 April 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4498527.stm. 
  17. ↑ "Minister defiant on bridge issues". BBC News. 26 January 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4650128.stm. 
  18. ↑ "Transport Scotland" (in en). https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/forth-replacement-crossing/document-library/forth-replacement-crossing-study-2007/. Retrieved 2018-01-22. 
  19. ↑ Jacobs (June 2007). "Forth Replacement Crossing Study Report 5 : Final Report Non Technical Summary". Transport Scotland. pp. 16–17. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111116004207/http://transportscotland.gov.uk/files/documents/reports/FRCS-Report5-Non-Technical-Summary26-06-07.pdf. 
  20. ↑ "Forth to get new iconic bridge – News". scotsman.com. 2007-12-19. http://www.scotsman.com/news/forth_to_get_new_iconic_bridge_1_704543. Retrieved 2012-01-15. 
  21. ↑ "The ForthRight Alliance". ForthRight Alliance. http://www.forthrightalliance.org/. Retrieved 3 May 2012. 
  22. ↑ "Our Objectives". Forth Tunnel Action Group. http://www.howeweb.talktalk.net/tag/objects.htm. Retrieved 3 May 2012. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Cut-price Forth crossing outlined". BBC News. 10 December 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7774761.stm. 
  24. ↑ "Transport blueprint at-a-glance". BBC News. 10 December 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7775936.stm. 
  25. ↑ "Public helps shape Forth Replacement Bridge Project". Transport Scotland. 23 June 2009. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014940/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/Public-Forth-Replacement-Bridge-Project. 
  26. ↑ "Forth Replacement Crossing: Environmental Statement". Transport Scotland. 17 November 2009. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130321004937/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy-and-research/publications-and-consultations/j11223-000.htm. 
  27. ↑ "BBC News – New Forth bridge plans approved by MSPs". bbc.co.uk. 2010-12-15. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-11994671. Retrieved 2012-01-15. 
  28. ↑ "Royal Assent granted for Forth Replacement Crossing". Transport Scotland. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232149/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/Forth-Replacement-Crossing-granted-Royal-Assent. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Principal contract". Transport Scotland. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120316191802/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/projects/forth-replacement-crossing/procurement/principal-contract. Retrieved 2012-01-15. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Just two bidders to build new Forth bridge". Scotsman.com. 29 September 2009. http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-east-fife/just_two_bidders_to_build_new_forth_bridge_1_776928. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Transport Scotland (30 November 2009). "Construction industry invited to bid for Forth Replacement Crossing contract". Press release. http://www.transport.gov.scot/news/construction-industry-invited-bid-forth-replacement-crossing-contract. Retrieved 1 December 2016. 
  32. ↑ "Consortium to build new Forth bridge". BBC News. 21 March 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-12806415. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Forth Bridge may be finished a year early (if Scottish weather allows)". The Scotsman. 17 March 2012. http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/transport/forth-bridge-may-be-finished-a-year-early-if-scottish-weather-allows-1-2179430. 
  34. ↑ "No Scots Bids for Forth Bridge Contract". The National. 21 October 2015. http://www.thenational.scot/news/no-scots-bids-for-forth-bridge-contract.8986. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Queensferry Crossing becomes UK's tallest bridge". BBC News. 13 August 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-33911664. 
  36. ↑ "Worker killed in incident on Queensferry Crossing". British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 April 2016. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36161190. Retrieved 30 April 2016. 
  37. ↑ "Tragedy occurs on Workers' Memorial Day". Union of Construction, Allied Trades, and Technicians (UCATT). 28 April 2016. https://www.ucatt.org.uk/tragedy-occurs-workers-memorial-day. Retrieved 30 April 2016. 
  38. ↑ "New Queensferry Crossing opening delayed until May 2017". BBC News. 8 June 2016. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36479440. Retrieved 8 June 2016. 
  39. ↑ Morby, Aaron (9 June 2016). "Queensferry Crossing to open five months late". Construction Enquirer. http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/06/09/queensferry-crossing-to-open-six-months-late/. Retrieved 9 June 2016. 
  40. ↑ "Opening of Queensferry Crossing delayed until summer". BBC News. 29 March 2017. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-39431512. Retrieved 30 August 2017. 
  41. ↑ Carrell, Severin (2017-08-30). "Queensferry Crossing across the Firth of Forth opens to traffic". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/30/queensferry-crossing-firth-of-forth-to-open-to-traffic-edinburgh. 
  42. ↑ "The Queensferry Crossing shimmering its way across the Forth". EdinburghReporter. 16 November 2016. http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2016/11/the-queensferry-crossing-shimmering-its-way-across-the-forth/. 
  43. ↑ "Everything you need to know about the Queensferry Crossing". BBC News. 30 August 2017. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-40972881. 
  44. ↑ "Queensferry Crossing". The Gazetteer for Scotland. 12 October 2017. http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst91950.html. 
  45. ↑ "Transport Minister Announces Naming Process for New Forth Crossing". Transport Scotland. 6 March 2012. http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/New-Forth-Crossing-naming-process-announced. 
  46. ↑ "Public to be involved in naming of new bridge". Transport Scotland. 22 March 2011. http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/Forth-Replacement-Crossing-naming. 
  47. ↑ "New Forth bridge: Queensferry Crossing wins naming contest". BBC News. 26 June 2013. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-23047293. 
  48. ↑ "Headland Archaeology | Forth Replacement Crossing, Edinburgh" (in en-GB). http://www.headlandarchaeology.com/project/forth-replacement-crossing-edinburgh/. Retrieved 2018-01-22. 
  49. ↑ Robertson, Alistair; Lochrie, Julie; Timpany, Scott (2013). "Built to last: Mesolithic and Neolithic settlement at two sites beside the Forth estuary, Scotland". The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 143: 73–136. doi:10.5284/1000184. http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/psas/contents.cfm?vol=143. Retrieved 2017-01-22. 
  50. ↑ "Dig finds '10,000-year-old home'". BBC News. 2012-11-18. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20376243. 


Bridges and crossings on the River Forth
Taylorton Bridge Clackmannanshire Bridge Kincardine on Forth Bridge Queensferry Crossing Forth Road Bridge Forth Bridge Firth of Forth
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