Third ice closure of Queensferry Crossing a ‘national embarrassment’
Traffic was not diverted via the Forth Road Bridge during yesterday’s closure of the adjacent Queensferry Crossing because of the ice threat’s forecast short duration, officials have said.
But msps described the situationas“truly unacceptable” and demanded a solution be found.
Carriageways on the £1.35 billion bridge were closed for more than six hours after ice was spotted falling from its support cables with vehicles switched to the Kincardine Bridge, 16 miles away.
It was the third time the three year-old bridge has had to be shut because of “ice accretion” over the last 11 months.
Bridge operator BEAR Scotland said a forecast of ice had been received last night but the ice risk was not thought likely to last long enough to justify switching traffic to the Forth Road Bridge.
The firm said that was because it would have taken four to five hours to set up the necessary diversion.
It said reduced traffic levels because of the lockdown was not a factor in deciding to dive rt vehicles via the Kincardine rather than Forth Road Bridge.
Sensors were fitted last year which detect ice accretion but research is continuing into potential measures to prevent ice falling.
Previous ice closures were last February and December, while the problem first emerged in March 2019.
Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Dean Lockhart said: “This is turning into a national embarrassment and a complete shambles.
“Key workers in fife and edinburghrely on the crossing being operational the whole year around, and to be faced with a second closure in as little as two months is very disruptive.
“It is clear the scottish government still hasn’t found a solution to the ice problem despite having installed sensors and for a bridge which was deemed‘ the best in the world’ by the First Minister, it better find one soon. “It is not good enough.” A transport scotland spokesman said :“Safety of road users is paramount and our operating company took the decision to close the Queensferry Crossing due to the risk of falling ice on safety grounds.
“Research and development work is underway to explore a method or technology to mitigate the problem of ice buildup on the bridge in the longer term.”
The Scottish Government agency said potential options included cable sheath surface modifications to retain and control the accreted ice, mechanical vibration systems, ultrasonic de-icing systems and robotics.but it pointed out that other bridge operators worldwide had found no single method to be completely successful