Is the Queensferry Crossing open? Latest update from Traffic Scotland as Storm Darcy brings snow

The Queensferry Crossing has been closed due to falling ice (Getty Images)

Parts of Scotland reached as low as -17 Celsius on Monday night, as the country faced Storm Darcy.

Bus and rail travel has been disrupted with an amber weather warning in place for much of the central belt and Transport Scotland reporting temperatures down to nearly minus 18 at Bannockburn in Stirling.

The Met Office forecasts that snow showers will continue during the day on Tuesday and into the evening across most of Scotland.

Despite this the Queensferry Crossing remains open

Is the Queensferry Crossing open?

The Queensferry Crossing is open despite the wintry conditions.

Traffic Scotland tweeted the news on Tuesday morning.

It wrote: “The Queensferry Crossing remains open this morning”

Has the bridge been closed before?

Yes, the bridge closed for the first time on 11 February 2020, 30 months after its construction.

This was also due to falling ice, with Mark Arndt from the Amey Forth Bridge Operating Company said work was being carried out to discover “permanent viable solutions” to the problem.

At the time Mr Arndt said: “We are also actively looking for permanent viable solutions to mitigating ice forming in the first place, that will take time through research and development and the like.”

Options being considered include the possibility of coating the cable sheaths on the crossing with a hydrophobic material to repel water or installing heating mechanisms.

The bridge closed on January 21 due to the threat of falling ice.

What weather warnings are in place?

Disruption to travel is set to worsen as an upgraded amber warning has been put in force across central Scotland.

The amber warning is in place between 3am and 9pm on Tuesday.

A further yellow alert for snow, which covers the central belt and eastern Scotland, is already in force and is expected to stay until at least Wednesday evening.

Areas such as Edinburgh and Glasgow have already faced a loss of electricity supplies amid the wintry weather.

Roads over higher routes are particularly expected to be affected by the snow and some rural communities might be cut off.