Queensferry Crossing
The Queensferry Crossing (formerly the Forth Replacement Crossing) is a road bridge in Scotland. It was built alongside the existing Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Bridge. It carries the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth between Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, and Fife, at North Queensferry.
| Forth Crossing Act 2011 | |
|---|---|
| Act of the Scottish Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act of the Scottish Parliament to give the Scottish Ministers power to construct a new bridge over the Firth of Forth and to construct and improve associated roads and structures; to authorise the acquisition, or temporary possession and use, of land for construction and improvement works; and for connected purposes. |
| Citation | 2011 asp 2 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 20 January 2011 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of the Forth Crossing Act 2011 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
Queensferry Crossing | |
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The Queensferry Crossing photographed in November 2017 | |
| Coordinates | 56.0046°N 3.4124°W |
| Carries | M90 |
| Crosses | Firth of Forth |
| Locale | Edinburgh and Fife, Scotland |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
| Total length | 2,700 metres (8,858 ft) |
| Longest span | 650 metres (2,133 ft) |
| No. of lanes | Dual two-lane carriageway with hard shoulders |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC) |
| Construction start | September 2011 |
| Construction end | 27 August 2017 |
| Construction cost | £1.35 billion |
| Opened | 30 August 2017 |
| Inaugurated | 4 September 2017 |
| Location | |
Proposals for a second Forth Road crossing, to meet unexpected demand, were first put forward in the 1990s, but no action was taken until structural issues were discovered in the Forth Road Bridge in 2004. In 2006–2007 Transport Scotland carried out a study and in December 2007, decided to proceed with a replacement bridge. The following year it was announced that the existing bridge would be retained as a public transport link. The Forth Crossing Act received royal assent in January 2011. In April 2011, the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors consortium were awarded the contract and construction began in late Summer/Autumn of 2011.
The Queensferry Crossing is a three-tower cable-stayed bridge, with an overall length of 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles). Around 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) of new connecting roads were built, including new and upgraded junctions at Ferrytoll in Fife, South Queensferry and Junction 1A on the M9.
The bridge was first due to be completed by December 2016, but this deadline was extended to August 2017 after several delays. It is the third bridge across the Forth at Queensferry, alongside the Forth Road Bridge completed in 1964, and the Forth Rail Bridge completed in 1890. Following a public vote, it was formally named on 26 June 2013 and opened to traffic on 30 August 2017. The official opening was carried out on 4 September 2017 by Queen Elizabeth II, fifty-three years to the day after she opened the adjacent Forth Road Bridge.