60 firms look at building new bridge over Forth

Published on Tuesday 17 March 2009 21:05

MORE than 60 construction firms yesterday expressed interest in building the new £2.3 billion Forth road bridge, project chiefs have said.

An official invitation for bids will be issued in June, with a shortlist of firms being asked to submit tenders in November.

Meanwhile, work resumed on installing drying equipment to halt corrosion of the Forth Road Bridge's main cables, after a winter break.

Completion is expected later this year, but it will not be known until 2011-2 whether the process has been successful.

This was deemed too late to have postponed the decision to build a replacement crossing.

Stewart Stevenson, the transport minister, addressing an industry event in Edinburgh, said: "We are making excellent progress.

"I was delighted to see so many senior representatives from some of the most well-respected contracting firms in Scotland, the UK and abroad expressing an interest in bidding to deliver the project."

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority, which runs the current bridge, said sealing the cables and installing equipment to pump in dry air was back on schedule following delays caused by rain last summer.

The work was suspended over the winter because strong winds posed too great a risk to the platforms used for the installation.