Forth Road Bridge fully reopens

The Forth Road Bridge in Scotland has fully reopened.

The bridge has been available to 90% of users since December with bridge operator Amey working around the clock to finish the strengthening programme to give all classes of vehicle which used the bridge prior to closure access again.

This re-opening follows a phased reintroduction of HGVs in the past two weeks with around 1,600 taking advantage of the night-time running hours.

Favourable weather conditions during that period have provided welcome relief to the storms during January, meaning that the team has been able to complete this phase of the works ahead of programme.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “I know that this is something that will be welcomed by the tens of thousands of drivers who use the bridge on a daily basis, especially the heavy goods vehicle drivers who have had to observe restricted crossing times in the past few weeks.

“Tribute should be paid to the engineering team that has been relentless in its commitment to getting this structure reopened.”

Mark Arndt, Amey’s account director for the Forth Road Bridge, added: “Getting to this stage is the result of months of hard work from our team and partners and we’re hugely appreciative of the dedication shown by everyone involved during, what has been, a very challenging time.”