Bridge steel will all come from abroad

STEEL to build the new Forth crossing will come from China, Spain and Poland, after no Scottish firms bid for the order, ministers said yesterday.

More than 37,000 tonnes – almost as much as used for the Forth Road Bridge – will be required for the structure.

However, transport minister Keith Brown stressed that the steel would be assembled at three plants near the bridge, supporting some 100 local jobs.

Industry experts told The Scotsman that Scotland no longer had the capacity to produce the amount of steel required.

However, they said ministers were sensitive about the bridge’s winning construction consortium being 90 per cent foreign and were anxious to highlight the benefits to the Scottish economy from sub-contracting work.

The Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors group comprises German firm Hochtief, American Bridge International, Dragados of Spain and Scottish company Morrison Construction.

The bridge, to be opened in four years, will comprise 24,500 tonnes of steel from Shanghai, 8,500 tonnes from Seville, and 4,200 tonnes from Gdansk.

The contract, which also includes approach roads, accounts for £790 million of the £1.45-1.6 billion project cost.