Forth Road Bridge: Original builders back together

THIRTY men who helped build the Forth Road Bridge 50 years ago were reunited yesterday for a special visit to see progress on the adjacent Forth Replacement Crossing.

Transport minister Keith Brown praised their role in “one of the most impressive feats of engineering of the time”.

The bridge was the longest suspension bridge outside the United States when it was opened by the Queen in September 1964.

Bridgemaster and chief engineer Barry Colford paid tribute to the seven people killed and the many injured during its construction.

Workers were faced with winds of up to 110mph which delayed progress for more than a month. George Bowie, 74, from Rosyth, who was a supervisor on the project, described the design of the new, cable-stayed bridge, due to be completed in 2016, as “a masterpiece”.