The Queensferry Crossing will open to traffic on Wednesday 30 August.
Final preparations are now underway for the opening of the bridge, which has been delivered at £245 million under budget, despite challenges including delays due to bad weather.
Since work began in 2011, over 15,000 people have been inducted to work on the construction site. Scottish firms have been awarded sub-contracts or supply orders on the project totalling over £350 million.
The bridge will be open to traffic until September 1, when it will close to allow around 50,000 people to walk across it for a special event that will take place on September 2 and 3. The Queen will officially open the Queensferry Crossing on September 4.
Economy Secretary Keith Brown commented, “It will be with a real sense of pride that all those involved with this project will witness traffic crossing the bridge this week. To think that the crossing has been completed six years from the date construction started and ten years since Parliament approved legislation is a remarkable achievement for a project of this scale and complexity. The challenges of this location have been well-documented and the real heroes are those who have braved the elements in sometimes horrendous conditions to finish the job.
“This project has released £245 million of savings back into the Scottish Budget since construction began. Quite often we see and hear of projects running significantly over budget, so I believe we should be proud of this achievement and take confidence going forward. Of course these savings are in addition to those achieved during contract procurement which reduced the forecast by £512 million from the outset. I am looking forward to seeing all of the hard work and investment pay off and to unlocking the benefits that this magnificent new piece of infrastructure will deliver to local communities and to Scotland as a whole.”
Project director David Climie said, “I’ve worked on projects across the globe and I can safely say that this has been one of the most challenging but also the most rewarding. It’s been a real roller coaster of emotions but the over-riding emotion at the moment is one of pride.
“Until you’ve actually been out on the bridge during severe winds it’s hard to appreciate the task at hand of delivering such a complex project. Experts from across the globe have marvelled at this achievement and so it’s nice to think there will be some recognition at home for the workforce this week too.”
Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) chief executive Mark Bevan added, “The Queensferry Crossing is a key addition to Scotland’s transport infrastructure which will safeguard and strengthen Scotland’s economic prosperity. The problems experienced with the existing bridge have highlighted why this new infrastructure was necessary to provide resilient connectivity for people and goods on this major artery of our economy.
“SCDI strongly supported the building of a new crossing and will continue to engage with our members on the future mobility needs of the Scottish economy. Everyone involved in the opening of this majestic addition to the bridges over the Forth should be proud of their achievement, and SCDI is sure that it will continue to be inspirational for those who use and visit it, especially those who would like to develop the skills to meet our next infrastructure challenges.”
