New Forth crossing 'will bring benefits worth £6bn'

Published on Sunday 21 February 2010 22:03

A REPLACEMENT Forth road bridge should be a priority during the next five years because it will bring a £6 billion benefit to the economy, according to the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC).

The organisation said a new bridge would cost 1.4 billion, but bring 6 billion in benefits.

The controversial new bridge was "essential for the future success and growth" of the Scottish economy, according to the BCC.

And it was one of 13 transport projects that should be prioritised across Britain.

It said spending on key road, rail and airport improvements should be prioritised after the general election despite fears over the UK's creaking public finances.

A Scottish Government spokesman said the new crossing was "vital to Scotland's future and economic success".

And a spokeswoman for Transport Scotland said it would support the construction sector "as well as opening up employment and education opportunities for people by investing in a safe, efficient transport network".

However, critics said the BCC's findings were flawed. Green MSP Patrick Harvie hit out at the findings, saying the analysis "could hardly be more skewed".

"First, the cost of the SNP's proposed bridge is almost a billion pounds more than the Chambers of Commerce suggest, and that's before construction even starts.

"Second, the same benefits could be achieved by simply repairing the existing bridge for no more than 122m.

"Assuming their economic figures are right, the benefits of repair outweigh the costs by a staggering 35 times, and would cost little more than a 20th as much as the deeply unpopular new bridge."

And he highlighted that in order to meet climate change targets, greener transport systems were needed.

The figures used by the BCC were taken from a Transport Scotland report into options for a replacement crossing, published in 2007. More recent estimates suggest the new crossing will cost up to 2.3bn to complete.

The 13 transport projects promoted by the BCC would earn the UK benefits of 85bn, the organisation said.

Other projects on the list include London's Crossrail train link and a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

David Frost, BCC's director general, said: "Transport infrastructure cuts must not become a politically convenient way to slash spending after an election, especially when there are huge savings to be made in far larger budgets, including health, education and welfare."

He said the works would help boost economic growth as well as aiding the struggling construction sector.

Business Infrastructure Commission chairman David Begg added: "It is absolutely right to be calling for continued investment in the UK's transport infrastructure.

"Improving our regional transport links goes hand in hand with economic growth and job creation."