Trial diversion over Forth Road Bridge to take place in the New Year

A trial diversion over the Forth Road Bridge will take place next month after southbound carriageway works were completed.

It's following the testing of emergency procedures more than a week ago.

The Queensferry Crossing and Forth Road Bridge had to shut for a night earlier this month to find out how long it would take to bring in an emergency diversion should the newer of the two bridges have to shut in the future.

While the trial diversion is expected to be carried out in the New Year, BEAR Scotland says the completion of roadworks on the southbound carriageway means the older bridge can be used as an emergency diversion route if the Queensferry Crossing has to shut for an extended period.

The £1.35 billion crossing closed near the start of this month due to a risk of falling ice being identified.

It caused traffic to have to divert through the Kincardine Bridge for several hours.

Meanwhile at the Forth Road Bridge, there is also scheduled to be work in 2021 to replace the main expansion joints in the northbound carriageway.

They will start in April, with completion expected by the end of October.

Before then, work to replace smaller joints in the west footpath will be carried out between January and April.

Some short-term lane closures will be needed to allow components to be lifted in and out of position, but that can be rescheduled if the bridge is required for use as a diversion route.

BEAR Scotland’s South East Unit Bridges Manager Chris Tracey said: "The Forth Road Bridge has continued to fulfil its function as a public transport corridor throughout this project, however the bridge will now be available to provide additional resilience as an emergency diversion route for motorway traffic, should the Queensferry Crossing have to close for an extended period this winter.

"It should be noted that an emergency diversion would only be implemented overnight, outside peak periods.

"This is because it takes several hours to remove roadside barriers and lay large numbers of cones and signs, and this process would cause significant additional disruption to traffic during busy periods.

"A trial diversion over the Forth Road Bridge will be carried out in January, with the aim of further refining this process."