New Queensferry Crossing will be “on time and under budget” say engineers

The Queensferry Crossing photographed in November 2015.

Engineers working on the new Queensferry Crossing say they are confident that the £1.4 billion project will be completed on time and under budget.

The bridge, which is due to open to traffic in December this year, has seen around 1,300 workers employed on its delivery. Work is scheduled to begin on surfacing the road by the end of the summer.

So far, 34 of the crossing’s 110 concrete decks are already in place and the bridge’s three towers are also complete. Major road links on both sides of the crossing as set to be completed over the next 11 months.

Speaking to the BBC, Michael Martin, project director for the construction joint venture, said: “I believe we can get traffic over the bridge by the end of the year. It’s not a guarantee as it will depend on the weather but I believe it is possible. All eyes are on the weather it seems, as Transport Scotland project director David Climie, said: “We are on target for the end of 2016 to have traffic on the new crossing providing we get average weather.”

In a welcome development, plans are already under way to showcase the major iconic engineering project with a series of events to give the public a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to cross the bridge’s 1.7-mile span on foot before it opens to traffic. Full details of these events are expected to be announced in the autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to contact Andy Walker about this, or any other story, please email awalker@infrastructure-intelligence.com.