Bridge gap

There seems to be a misconception these days that once a new bridge is built it will, like the Forth railway bridge, last forever.

The same thought prevailed some 46 years ago when the existing road bridge was built and look at the state it is now in.

There appear to have been shortcomings somewhere in its original specifications and/or deficiencies in the ongoing maintenance over the period. I refer to the incidence of corrosion affecting the cables.

What makes the pro-bridge lobby think the second bridge will be any different?

As to the weather characteristics prevalent in the Forth area one of your recent correspondents, from the Freight Transport Association (Letters, 23 April), wrote that lateral wind pressure had, in his words, "been engineered out of the new design", suggesting that the days of high-sided vehicles being barred from crossing and 40mph restrictions being enforced would be over.

Quite how this will be achieved I know not, but I won't hold my breath.

TGP Flinn (Letters, 31 March) and TA Davidson (Letters, 26 March) between them are much closer to a realistic solution with their all-weather-proof causeway scenario.

If this for some reason proves unacceptable, then we should twin-bore two-lane tunnels, of which there are many all over the world, some much longer than the distance needed under the Forth.

S BROUGH

Bents

West Lothian