Warning of bridge delays as toll removal brings confusion

Published on Saturday 9 February 2008 10:06

DRIVERS are being warned of congestion at the Forth Road Bridge as motorists get used to crossing without paying a toll.

Work to remove some of the tollbooths and renew the road surface got under way on Wednesday and has led to heavy congestion on a number of the approach roads to the bridge in recent days.

But motoring groups today warned this congestion is likely to continue on Monday, when the tolls are officially abolished, as drivers get used to the new road layout.

A clear two-lane carriageway is being created from the M9 Spur and A90 through the toll plaza and on to the bridge. A single lane of traffic will merge into this from the Echline junction.

Over the next few months, the rest of the tollbooths and canopy will be removed, though an overhead gantry with signals will be put in place to allow traffic to be stopped in emergencies.

Neil Greig, Scottish policy manager for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "There is bound to be some congestion on Monday as people get used to the changeover and are perhaps slowing down as they are not sure about the new layout.

"This is the same with any new road layout or roadworks but I think it will settle down quite quickly.

"I don't think there will be any long-lasting congestion as a result of these changes."

Regional transport body Sestran last month warned of extra congestion on the Echline roundabout when the tolls are removed.

Modelling work by the transport body shows that removing tolls will mean northbound traffic from Echline roundabout may have difficulty in merging with A90 traffic during peak time, resulting in long queues.

Sestran recommended further work on the possibility of an extra "queuing lane" on the A904 and the opening of junction 1A on the M9 to allow west-north movement of traffic on the A904.

Barry Colford, deputy general manager of FETA, which maintains the bridge, said: "It may take drivers a few days to get used to the new layout after tolls are abolished, but we're confident traffic flow will improve considerably once this work is complete.

"Until then, I'd like to thank drivers for their patience.

"If we could have restricted the preparation work to weekends or overnights, we would have.

"However, the minimum time frame to do the job is four days.

"Suspending the works during peak hours wouldn't have helped as we would still be without two tollbooths, and this is what is causing the delay."

Last night, drivers heading north from Edinburgh hit a tailback of up to four miles as they queued to cross the bridge.

MSPs voted soon after last May's elections in favour of abolishing tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges.

The 1 million cost of removing the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge comes just over a year after bridge bosses spent 5m on state-of-the-art toll booths.

www.feta.gov.uk