Go forth and conquer

The Forth Bridge has been taking rail passengers over the Firth from Edinburgh to Fife since 1890. A magnificent feat of engineering, using the cantilever principle, it is one of Scotland’s iconic structures and a Unesco world heritage site. More than 70 years would pass before the Firth would also be spanned by a road bridge opened by the Queen in 1964. Next Monday, Her Majesty will officially open the third bridge, the Queensferry Crossing. It is to become the main route for vehicles travelling between Edinburgh and Fife, while the old road bridge will be dedicated to public transport, cyclists and walkers.

Britain provided the world’s first completed iron bridge near Coalbrookdale in Shropshire to herald the start of the industrial revolution. Great engineers such as Telford and Brunel left spectacular monuments to this country’s heritage, as did Sir John Fowler, Benjamin Baker and the 4,500 men who built the first Forth Bridge. The latest addition is very much in that tradition, replacing the current road bridge, which has been beset by problems since corrosion was found in its steel cables more than 10 years ago. It even had to be closed completely for a while for repairs.

Work on the new crossing began in 2011 and, at 2.7km, it is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world. Unlike the old bridge, it is expected to remain open in all weathers, since engineers have designed wind shields that they hope will eliminate the need for any closures on what will be the main crossing over the estuary.

Whether they can withstand Scotland’s ferocious winter storms remains to be seen. But if Queensferry Crossing is still going strong 100 years from now, they will have done their job.