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| Forth Road Bridge to be closed until new year due to structural defects | Forth Road Bridge to be closed until new year due to structural defects |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Forth Road Bridge is to remain closed until the new year after the discovery of defective steel work, the Scottish government has said. | The Forth Road Bridge is to remain closed until the new year after the discovery of defective steel work, the Scottish government has said. |
| The closure to both northbound and southbound traffic came into effect at midnight on Thursday, causing chaos for commuters heading into the Edinburgh area from Fife, Tayside and Perthshire on Friday morning. | The closure to both northbound and southbound traffic came into effect at midnight on Thursday, causing chaos for commuters heading into the Edinburgh area from Fife, Tayside and Perthshire on Friday morning. |
| Transport Scotland and police reported 11-mile tailbacks along narrower roads in the area as drivers headed off the A90 dual carriageway for alternative bridges at Kincardine and Clackmannan further up the Forth. | |
| The discovery of cracks in a steel joint had led initially to the bridge’s partial closure earlier this week; the full closure was ordered after an inspection raised concerns about risks to eight similar parts. | The discovery of cracks in a steel joint had led initially to the bridge’s partial closure earlier this week; the full closure was ordered after an inspection raised concerns about risks to eight similar parts. |
| Scotland’s transport minister, Derek Mackay, said the closure would remain in place until the new year. He said the decision was “not taken lightly”, and steps were being taken to lessen the impact of the closure. | Scotland’s transport minister, Derek Mackay, said the closure would remain in place until the new year. He said the decision was “not taken lightly”, and steps were being taken to lessen the impact of the closure. |
| ScotRail has added extra carriages and tried to add in extra services from Fife and Tayside to increase capacity for commuters and travellers. A ScotRail spokesman told BBC Good Morning Scotland it hoped to increase seating by 25%. | ScotRail has added extra carriages and tried to add in extra services from Fife and Tayside to increase capacity for commuters and travellers. A ScotRail spokesman told BBC Good Morning Scotland it hoped to increase seating by 25%. |
| The defect has highlighted the bridge’s age: it is now more than 50 years old, and has survived longer and with far heavier traffic than originally expected. Ministers are now building a £1.4bn replacement road bridge, the Queensferry crossing, directly alongside it which is due to open later in 2016. | The defect has highlighted the bridge’s age: it is now more than 50 years old, and has survived longer and with far heavier traffic than originally expected. Ministers are now building a £1.4bn replacement road bridge, the Queensferry crossing, directly alongside it which is due to open later in 2016. |
| The bridge’s operator tweeted that it was “to allow for essential maintenance”. Confirming the move in a statement on Thursday night, Transport Scotland said: “A full closure of the bridge is being put into effect after midnight on Thursday 3 December 2015. | The bridge’s operator tweeted that it was “to allow for essential maintenance”. Confirming the move in a statement on Thursday night, Transport Scotland said: “A full closure of the bridge is being put into effect after midnight on Thursday 3 December 2015. |
| “The Forth Road Bridge is to shut following the discovery of defective steelwork earlier this week. The decision has been taken as a precautionary step after inspections carried out earlier this week showed a fault in the bridge steelwork. The results of earlier inspections will continue to be analysed overnight.” | “The Forth Road Bridge is to shut following the discovery of defective steelwork earlier this week. The decision has been taken as a precautionary step after inspections carried out earlier this week showed a fault in the bridge steelwork. The results of earlier inspections will continue to be analysed overnight.” |
| Earlier this week, traffic on the bridge was restricted to a single lane in each direction, following the discovery of a defect to a steel component beneath the southbound carriageway. It was found by engineers on Tuesday during a routine inspection. | Earlier this week, traffic on the bridge was restricted to a single lane in each direction, following the discovery of a defect to a steel component beneath the southbound carriageway. It was found by engineers on Tuesday during a routine inspection. |
| Mackay said the closure was agreed on engineering advice: failing to take immediate action now could lead to far greater problems and closures in future, he said. The fault was in a difficult-to-access section. | Mackay said the closure was agreed on engineering advice: failing to take immediate action now could lead to far greater problems and closures in future, he said. The fault was in a difficult-to-access section. |
| “The reason for that is that further traffic will cause further damage to the bridge, having identified the fault, therefore the bridge has to be closed,” Mackay said. “I know that that causes significant disruption and I thank travellers and drivers for their patience but we have to close the bridge for reasons of safety to undertake investigation and repairs, and therefore I would advise the travelling public to avoid travelling if they were going to use the Forth road bridge.” | “The reason for that is that further traffic will cause further damage to the bridge, having identified the fault, therefore the bridge has to be closed,” Mackay said. “I know that that causes significant disruption and I thank travellers and drivers for their patience but we have to close the bridge for reasons of safety to undertake investigation and repairs, and therefore I would advise the travelling public to avoid travelling if they were going to use the Forth road bridge.” |