Alarm raised over bridge crash barrier

SECTIONS of the Forth Road Bridge face closure after independent consultants raised safety concerns about the barriers separating drivers from the river below. The safety railings are now thought not to be strong or high enough, partly because the bridge was built 40 years ago and vehicles are now heavier and faster.

The report, commissioned by the bridge’s operators, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, and written by consultants Flint and Neill Partnership, revealed "shortfalls in strength and geometric requirements".

The study recommended the barriers be tested more fully to assess their ability to withstand crashes.

If Feta goes ahead with the tests and they show the barriers are not safe, reconstruction work could bring delays for the estimated 70,000 drivers who cross the bridge every day.

Councillors from Edinburgh, Fife, West Lothian and Perth and Kinross, which make up the Feta board, will decide whether to act upon the concerns raised in the report at their next meeting on April 29. A Feta spokeswoman said: "Any work needed will cause disruptions. There’s not really a quiet time on the Forth Bridge.

"If we are in a position where maintenance work needs to be done, we will try to minimise disruption. It is difficult to say what will happen at this stage. It will all depend on what the tests show. But Feta’s main priorities are maintenance and safety. We will do whatever needs to be done to ensure safety on the bridge."

Neil Greig, head of policy for the AA Motoring Trust in Scotland, said: "Safety has to be the number one priority.

We don’t want to see delays but you have to go with the expert opinion."

The bridge was built in 1964, and has since been crossed by an estimated 55 million vehicles, although none has ever crashed through a barrier. However, heavy goods vehicles overturning have damaged sections of the barriers and Feta said this is not an impact they were designed to withstand.

Feta is trying to find ways of reducing traffic on the bridge, which has soared from four million vehicles a year when it first opened to 24 million a year now - more than the congestion limit of 30,000 vehicles a day each way.

Among the options Feta is considering are higher tolls for lone drivers, building a second bridge, expanding the Kincardine Bridge so it can take a greater share of traffic, and re-introducing a ferry crossing.

Transport Minister Nicol Stephen has hinted that he backs the idea of varying charges to deter drivers from travelling alone during rush hour.

YOUR SAY Are you alarmed at questions over the strength of the barriers on the bridge? Tel: [phone] or email [email protected]