Bridge of size

Is there an element of farce in the sequence of events that will lead up to the official opening of the Queensferry Crossing by the Queen on 4 September (your report, 7 July)?

It is to be opened to traffic on 30 August, then closed to traffic for two days on September 2-3 to allow for a mass walk over the thoroughfare, then officially opened by the monarch the following day. Since the Scottish Government told its detractors concerned about the delay in completion that it would open some time in August, that, apparently, is what is going to happen. But would there have been any lasting damage to its reputation, or to the Scottish economy, if the opening to traffic had been delayed until after those interested had walked over the complex and the Queen had performed the opening ceremony. I think not.

Notwithstanding all that, I want to express my joy that this venture is nearing completion. It has been an intriguing spectacle in the last two years gazing from left to right as people cross the existing Road Bridge by bus or foot. A fiveyear-old gazing at the opening of the Railway Bridge in 1890 would have been nearly 80 by the opening of the Road Bridge in 1964, and would surely have wondered about the advances made in transport over that period. Nobody is old enough to have witnessed the opening of all three crossings, but

we have heard from engineers who have worked on both road projects. The changes in computer techniques and health and safety alone in the last half century have been enormous. That sense of continuity is important as we celebrate the coming of a major technological feat for Scotland.

BOB TAYLOR

Shiel Court, Glenrothes