Forth Road Bridge - now in intensive care

[mxvx]

I have to say, now they have tax raising power's, you can be sure your all likely to get shafted!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-s ... s-35106701

[Daveb]

I think these plaster casts / splints whatever won't work and we'll be back to square one.

The proper fix will be to replace the trusses but that will take too long / cost too much.

[Jamie Satriani]

The proper fix would have been to make a tunnel instead of a new bridge surely?, not affected by high winds either. And a Rosyth bypass, the place is holding back so much traffic with snarled up congestion it must be having a huge impact on business, plus the disturbance and air pollution for people that live there, the place is a disaster.

[Stephen]

Tunnels are significantly more expensive than bridges. Not sure when considered over say 100 years though.

[Dark]

A tunnel was discussed as a potential option however two main issues:
1) the height of the ground north & south of the Forth - a lot of digging required to get down into a tunnel at the necessary gradient
2) the rock under the Forth is mainly shale, not ideal for tunnelling and full of old mine workings

[j2 lot]

I have to say, now they have tax raising power's, you can be sure your all likely to get shafted!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-s ... s-35106701

There was never going to be a tax hike with 6 months to go to the Scottish Parliamentary Elections.

[Corranga]

Other maintenance is also being carried out ... including line painting ...

Horay! Some joined up thinking at last!

They're doing it wrong...

Who'd have thought that bridges, traditionally things with tolls to raise funds for high maintenance budgets would suffer from not having tolls and big cuts to their maintenance budgets...

[Stephen]

Progress. But it makes you wonder what has been happening up till now if they are only placing a maintenance contract now!

Ref: DEC229378
Notice Type: Contract Notice
Title: Ford’s Road Bridge – Steelwork Repairs and Protective Coating including General Maintenance
Published: 18/12/2015
Published by: The City of Edinburgh Council
Deadline: 12/01/2016
Full Text: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov. ... =DEC229378
I note they can't spell it correctly!

[campbell]

Yeah, never realised I had my own road bridge!

[GregR]

Other maintenance is also being carried out ... including line painting ...

Horay! Some joined up thinking at last!

They're doing it wrong...

Who'd have thought that bridges, traditionally things with tolls to raise funds for high maintenance budgets would suffer from not having tolls and big cuts to their maintenance budgets...

And they raided the slush fund for the A8000 or whatever the link-up road was called so there was hee haw left.

[Scuffers]

More raiding required...

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... ges-ahead/

[jason]

Re-opens ahead of schedule at 06:00 tomorrow, Wednesday, to all vehicles except HGVs *

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-35160296


* which raises the question, will HGVs remain banned until the new Queensferry Crossing opens?

[David]

There's a bit more information now. Seems the broken link has been fixed but the other 7 are going to be reinforced with the bridge open. I guess HGVs will be allowed when that's complete.

[Stevoraith]

Sounds like it's not the additional 7 links that they need to be reinforced before allowing HGVs, it's a permanent repair on the broken one as the temporary repair doesn't give the flexibility in the joint that is needed to take the weight of HGVs.

This should be done by the middle of Feb with only temporary lane closures needed.

Happy days, tomorrow is my last day at work but the 5am alarm calls were beginning to get too much!

[Sanjøy]

I believe that both north and south stretches are fully de-restricted to limit the time exposed to danger.