Forth Bridges' Queensferry Bridge deck completed
news16th February 2017
The last deck section of Scotland's newest mega-structure, the £1.35 billion Queensferry Crossing, was lifted into place last friday marking a final milestone in this massive engineering project.
Construction began in 2011 with a target end date December 2016. However, owing to 'adverse weather conditions' the completion date was pushed back to the new year.
The 1.7 mile long structure spanning Edinburgh and Fife now lays claim to a record-breaking title: the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world. It also smashes the previous record of the longest to feature cables which cross mid-span.
The final section of deck was lifted into place on Friday afternoon as a score of avid spectators looked on.
Michael Martin, project director of Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors, said it had been a 'massive milestone' for the bridge. He added: "It's a landmark moment for us."
The structure looms 207m above high tide - the equivalent of 48 double decker buses - and is built on three giant steel cylinders, each the size of a six-storey block of flats!
In addition, some 5,700m of 3.5 metre-high transparent shields will be installed along the bridge, plus several additional stay cables.
The innovative side shields will protect against the strong winds, 'almost entirely' eliminating 'the need for closures' according to bridge operators. Added to that, bridge cables will be replaced as part of regular maintenance works without closing the bridge.
Last month, the existing Forth Road Bridge was forced to close when a lorry was blown over, despite warnings that the bridge was closed at the time to high-sided vehicles.
With the installation of the wind shields plus its innovative design, it is hoped the bridge will remain open through all but the worst weather.
Project leaders insist there is still much to be done (ironically, with the weather capable of disrupting plans further) but engineers are optimistic that the bridge will be open to traffic by the end of May this year.
Written by Ian Johnson