THE sheer scale of the chaos and crisis being caused by the closure of the Forth Road Bridge until the new year began to show itself yesterday.
Tailbacks of up to 11 miles on diversion routes, the loss of tens of millions to the Scottish economy, NHS patients subjected to delays in getting treatment – all as a result of what the Scottish Government’s Transport Minister Derek Mackay admitted was a matter of “national significance”.
The Scottish Government had been left with no choice but to close the bridge until at least January after the discovery on Tuesday of defective steelwork under the southbound carriageway at the North Tower of the bridge.
Inspections carried out by specialist engineers discovered the 20mm crack in the steel framework, and assessment of the fault by independent experts found eight other stressed areas. The only solution, they agreed, was to shut the bridge for full repairs.
Only “blue light” emergency vehicles will be allowed to use the bridge, and there may even be passenger ferry services across the Forth – while Abellio Scotrail has pledged to source extra rolling stock on the railway network.
The closure until the new year is bound to cause massive traffic disruption. Some 70,000 vehicles cross the bridge each week day, and the main traffic diversion is via the Kincardine and Clackmannanshire Bridges. At points yesterday there were tailbacks of 11 and six miles at the bridges respectively.
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Committee will continue to meet over the weekend and further updates will be provided and a dedicated webpage for travel information will be created. A Government statement said: “In the meantime, we encourage people to carefully consider their travel plans and whether journeys are necessary. We would urge them to check conditions before they set out and look at options like car-sharing and public transport.”
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “The decision to close the Forth Road Bridge is not taken lightly. It is based on the expert opinion of the engineers who operate the bridge day to day and independent experts in the field.
“Every effort is being made to open the bridge as quickly as possible but safety is the main priority, however these works are weather dependent given the height and location of the bridge. We are aware of the potential economic impact, for strategic traffic in the east of Scotland and on people living in local communities. This is an unprecedented challenge in the maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge. On balance, following advice from engineers and independent experts, the full closure is essential for the safety of the travelling public and to prevent further damage to the structure of the bridge.
“The bridge operators Amey have a robust inspection team in place and these defects are problems that have only occurred in the last number of weeks.”
Chartered engineer Mark Arndt, Amey’s account director responsible for the bridge said: “This is a complex engineering challenge. The component failure is in a difficult to access location and our response is also highly dependent on weather conditions.
“We continue to work around the clock on inspections, assessments and calculations along with the development of designs to effect the necessary repairs, while at the same time mobilising all the resources required to reopen the bridge as soon as is possible.”
NHS Lothian, Tayside and Fife are all making arrangements to minimise the effects on patients travelling to and from their facilities. The full economic impact is still to be assessed, but just a few years ago bridge management estimated the closure of just one carriageway cost the Scottish economy £650,000 per day.
The Federation of Small Businesses’ Scottish policy convener Andy Willox said: “Not only will this closure impact those that use the bridge to bring their goods or services to market, employers of all description will face serious disruption. Communities and firms facing the worst disruption will look to local and national government to mitigate the impact of the measure.”
Rail union RMT said the road closure had “exposed a severe shortage of capacity” on ScotRail services. General secretary Mick Cash said: “The sudden and enforced closure of the Forth Bridge has seriously exposed the chronic lack of spare rolling stock and capacity on ScotRail. This situation calls for an immediate review of the capacity and fleet stock on ScotRail so that passengers are not confronted with this kind of chaotic situation in the future.”
The best tweets of the day...
?@NewScotGirl Hey everybody laughing at us in Fife with no bridge. The biggest Amazon distribution in Western Europe is on OUR side. #xmasisnotinthepost @ScottyNational Forth Road bridge: Scot Gov scientists confirm structural faults in the bridge are due to the heavy weight caused by Westminster oppression @noelchidwick @forthroadbridge Get well soon. @AngrySalmond In an independent Scotland, you won’t have to use the Forth Road bridge because we’ll have invented flying cars. #SexySocialism @iainlives It’s just the FORTH road bridge folks, we can still use the other 3. @RichPreston BREAKING: The Forth Road Bridge. Literally. @ScottMacRory Forth Road Bridge closed till New Year... We’re on our own people, better start stocking up on bottled water, sand and beans!!!
11-mile tailbacks as Forth Road Bridge closes
Irony abounds over Forth Road Bridge's troubled past
Ross ‘Teddy’ Craig: Presents by drone? This year it’s going to be a capital idea
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here