Norwegian tunnelling expertise could massively reduce Forth crossing costs

Published on Wednesday 4 July 2007 00:36

While Alex Salmond is in Norway talking energy next month, perhaps he might like to drop in on a few Norwegian tunnelling firms to sort out the Forth crossing.

A couple of examples may be of interest. The Norwegians connected the islands of Hitra and Frya to the mainland near Trondheim with two two-lane tunnels the former (completed in 1994) is 5.7km long and 264 metres (the deepest in the world) below sea level: the latter is 5.3km long and 155 metres deep, and was built in three years and opened a year early in 2001 at a cost of $55 million or $10,000 per metre, all of this despite extremely adverse tunnelling conditions.

The 24.5 km Lrdal tunnel was built in five years to 2000 at a cost of $125 million or about $5,000 per metre. Bearing in mind costs will have gone up since, but also that the deepest point of the Forth estuary is only 80 metres, exactly what engineering planet is the Scottish Executive and their consultants actually on?

Let's put to one side the vaunted innovation necessary for EARL, and burying concrete tubes on the bed of the Forth - would it not make sense to invite the Norwegians over to build two or even three bog-standard tunnels - (say) 10km from Kirkliston to Inverkeithing - under the Forth and do the job at a fraction of the ludicrous sums being touted?

CHRIS COOK

Grange East

Linlithgow, West Lothian

The potential 3.5 billion cost of the new Forth crossing highlights just how short-sighted and irresponsible the decision to abolish bridge tolls has been.

Now generations of taxpayers across Scotland will be forced to foot the bill for the SNP's pre-election bribes.

I also note with disbelief that the minister for transport, Stewart Stevenson, claims his top priorities on our roads include "managing demand to reduce congestion". I'd be interested to hear exactly how he plans to achieve this at the Forth without the mechanism of tolls?

JOHN MacKENZIE

Perth Road

Coupar Angus, Fife