Forth Road Bridge closed 03 | 12 | 2015
THE FORTH ROAD BRIDGE is expected to be closed to all traffic throughout Friday, causing major commuter problems. The closure follows the discovery of a defective steelwork. Around 75,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day.
Commuters heading from Fife into Edinburgh this morning face the potential of massive delays as the daily volume which crosses the Forth Road Bridge attempts to cross via the Kincardine Bridge.
Scottish Government transport chiefs met late into Thursday evening to make the decision. The immediate decision was made to close the bridge to all vehicles at midnight: it is not expected to reopen today, and the closure could possibly be extended over the weekend.
The bridge is now more than 50 years old, and the planned traffic capacity of the bridge is regularly exceeded, shortening its projected lifespan.
Related: New Forth crossing will get a name
It's more than 10 years since concern about corrosion of the main suspension cables was first confirmed, prompting ministers to order a new crossing.
As a result, the new £1.4 billion Queensferry Crossing is scheduled to open over the Firth of Forth in December. 2016.
The closure decision comes after restrictions were put in place earlier this week as engineers investigated the fault.
“The Forth Road Bridge is to shut following the discovery of defective steelwork earlier this week," a Transport Scotland statement read.
"The decision has been taken as a precautionary step after inspections carried out earlier this week showed a fault in the bridge steelwork.
“A full update will be provided on Friday.”
Related: BTCC teams back Scots safety initiative at Forth Bridge
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Jim McGill