Living under Bridge's shadow

Published on Monday 18 April 2011 11:48

IT'S the most expensive civil engineering project ever carried out in Scotland and one of the most costly bridges ever constructed anywhere.

But while the new 1.7 billion Forth crossing will create a new link between Fife and the Lothians, it has divided opinion like only major transport projects can.

Despite there being just weeks until the Holyrood elections, Transport Scotland this week signed off the deal to design and construct the bridge.

However, the fallout from the project is set to straddle both this parliament and the next, with detractors still questioning whether there is a need for the structure at all.

Caught in the middle are the residents of South Queensferry, whose properties will sit in the shadow of huge crossing.

There was a mixed reaction when the deal was signed with the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC) consortium, with some residents resigned to the project going ahead and others determined to continue fighting it.

The consortium, which is made up of German firm Hochtief, as well as Dragados, American Bridge International and Morrison Construction, was announced as preferred bidder for the design and build contract in March after an 18-month competitive tender.

But now the group has been given the go-ahead by Transport Scotland to design and construct the new crossing over the Firth of Forth, together with new road connections both north and south of the estuary. It is a contract worth 790 million, part of an overall project which is now expected to cost between 1.4bn-1.6bn.

Martin Gallagher, of Queensferry and District Community Council, said he backed the bridge, but had concerns over the amount of disruption the construction work would cause.

He said: "We are where we are. We did fight quite hard to try and win concessions and we did get quite a few minor ones from Transport Scotland.

"Now we've got to focus on construction for the next six years. We can argue until we're blue in the face, but the reality is that this is happening – the diggers are moving in and we have to deal with that.

"Obviously, people have concerns about disruption and noise, but what people are going to notice most is the traffic impact."

He added: "Overall, however, we fully accept the need for the new crossing. The existing bridge is no longer fit for purpose, so it's absolutely essential, not just for Fife and the Lothians, but for Scotland."

The new 1.7-mile bridge will take the form of a dual-carriageway with hard shoulders and will replace the existing Forth Road Bridge, which is set to be retained as a public transport corridor.

The project also includes the construction of more than four miles of new roads, as well as an Intelligent Transport System, which will provide real-time traffic updates.

However, Margaret Smith, Lib Dem candidate for Edinburgh Western, said many in the local community were still deeply unhappy about not having their concerns listened to.

"The community are still very, very angry," she said. "There are individuals still talking seriously about having some form of judicial review and really feel like this thing was railroaded through.

"While lots of people are resigned to it happening, I would not like you to think there's not people still feeling some sense of anger and disappointment – there's still a great deal of resentment."

She added: "This is going to have a massive impact, not just on Queensferry, but Kirkliston and the west of Edinburgh in terms of traffic. I don't think people outside of the immediate area have woken up to that yet."

It is thought that the current rate of corrosion on the existing Forth Road Bridge means work on the new crossing has to get under way, with the lack of a direct road link between Edinburgh and Fife unthinkable for the local economy.

However, the ForthRight Alliance, a coalition of groups opposed to the construction, has condemned the Scottish Government's signing of the contract during the middle of the election campaign.

Lawrence Marshall, chairman of the ForthRight Alliance, said: "The main beneficiaries are foreign construction companies.

"Repairing the far more serious damage inflicted on Scotland's roads by the severe weather of the past few years would benefit Scotland's economy much more.

"Local firms employing local people would be boosted in a way quite impossible to achieve from a project pouring money into the coffers of a multi-national consortium."

He added: "It is, moreover, deeply inappropriate for this contract to have been signed in the midst of a Scottish general election campaign.

"The Permanent Secretary did nothing to prevent this breach of recognised protocol. What good is 'purdah' when such a contract can be signed just days before the election?"

FCBC, the construction consortium, will now commence the detailed design in readiness for the start on site later this year, with the bridge due to open to traffic in 2016.

FCBC's Carlos Rohde said the consortium includes "world-class bridge building and civil engineering firms with strong records of successfully delivering similar projects throughout the world".

The community of Queensferry at least will be hoping they are as good as their word.

Keeping count . .

BRIDGE BUILDING IN NUMBERS

• 1.7-2.3bn - the estimated cost of the new bridge allowing for "optimism bias".

• 475ft. The height of the towers above the new bridge - 165ft higher than the main tower on the existing bridge.

• 2016. The year the bridge is due to open.

• 300. The number of vehicles which critics say will use the existing bridge as a "public transport corridor" on a daily basis once the new crossing is built.

• 100m+. The money already committed to the upkeep of the existing bridge.