Forth Road Bridge 'may last for 80 more years'

THE Forth Road Bridge could last for another 80 years after moves to halt the corrosion in its main cables proved "encouraging", according to the former head of the bridge authority.

Lawrence Marshall, the former chairman of the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA), said plans for a new £4 billion crossing should now be dropped to save taxpayers' money.

Mr Marshall, who now represents campaign group The ForthRight Alliance, called on ministers to repair the existing structure, rather than pursue an "unaffordable" and "unsustainable" new crossing.

But the Scottish Government insisted it had no option but to plough ahead with the new bridge as the full extent of the damage to the 44-year-old structure will not be known until 2011 – far too late to begin work on a replacement.

Mr Marshall, who chaired FETA from 2005 to 2007, said: "A lot of water has flowed under the Forth Road Bridge since the Scottish Government announced its intention to build a new Forth crossing last December.

"Since then, a further internal inspection of the main cables has shown that the wires are corroding at a slower rate than first feared, with the result that weight restrictions might not now have to be introduced until 2021.

"Even more importantly, work to dry out the main cables of the existing bridge has yielded 'encouraging results' – there is now proof that the initial lengths treated are drying out. If these results are replicated elsewhere on the main cables then it should be possible to arrest the corrosion and for the bridge to last for its design life of 120 years."

Campaigners say that even if attempts to dry the cables fail, the supports could be replaced or "augmented" for between £91m and £122m.

But a spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "The decision to build a Forth replacement crossing was made following the conclusion of an exhaustive option appraisal and feasibility study – The Forth Replacement Crossing Study. We won't know the full extent of damage to the cables until 2011 – impossibly late to start planning for a Forth replacement crossing.

"So nothing has changed and the imperative for a replacement crossing remains as strong as ever in light of the vital importance of a Forth crossing to the Scottish transport network and economy.

"Ministers expect to make a further announcement before the end of the year."

Plans for the £4.2bn crossing have been described as the "most expensive bridge in human history".

Finance secretary John Swinney has said the estimated cost is at 2016 prices and also includes the extensive road network leading to the bridge.

No-one from FETA was available for comment.