Forth Road Bridge closed to traffic over structural faults

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Image copyright PA Image caption The bridge has been closed to all traffic since midnight

The Forth Road Bridge has been completely closed to traffic to allow repairs to structural faults.

Transport minister Derek Mackay said it was too early to say how long it would be closed but it would be "not just today".

The total closure came into force at midnight with initial guidance it would remain shut for at least 24 hours.

Early on Friday morning, 11 mile tailbacks have been reported approaching the Kincardine Bridge.

The southbound carriageway had been shut since the discovery of steelwork defects during inspections on Tuesday.

Since then engineers have identified eight other parts of the bridge where similar problems could be encountered.

If you don"t need to travel, then it"s probably best that you don"tSpokeswoman, ScotRail

Mr Mackay told the BBC Good Morning Scotland programme: "Ministers are meeting again by teleconference this morning with further advice on what the repair plan looks like.

"I"ll be able to say more about that later today. I don"t want to give a timescale only to change it within a few hours.

"It"s not going to be just today."

The closure decision was taken late on Thursday after the latest reports indicated the faults were more serious than had earlier been thought.

Mr Mackay added: "It"s important, on the expert advice we"ve had, that we get access to the site.

"It"s quite a restricted and difficult to access area to look at the repairs that are required.

"There"s a complete bridge closure because the advice we"ve been given is that continuing to have traffic flowing across the bridge will cause further damage."

Officials had earlier spoken of putting a "temporary fix" in place before longer term repairs were undertaken.

Image copyright Forth Road Bridge Image caption Engineers inspected the bridge on Wednesday morning

In a statement Transport Scotland said: "A full closure of the bridge is being put into effect after midnight on Thursday December 3, 2015.

"The Forth Road Bridge is to shut following the discovery of defective steelwork earlier this week.

"The decision has been taken as a precautionary step after inspections carried out earlier this week showed a fault in the bridge steelwork.

"The results of earlier inspections will continue to be analysed overnight."

Rail congestion

Since Tuesday vehicles have been using the northbound carriageway only with a contraflow system in place.

The restrictions on one of Scotland"s major transport routes led to major disruption with long tailbacks affecting commuters on Wednesday and Thursday.

The rail operator has warned that trains crossing the Forth are likely to be exceptionally busy.

A ScotRail spokeswoman said: "We are working to see what we might be able to do to add more capacity to what is already an extremely busy route.

"However, even if we do manage to add carriages or services in the area, trains are likely to be incredibly busy at peak travel times.

"So if you don"t need to travel, then it"s probably best that you don"t."

Image copyright Aerial View Scotland Troubled waters

Before the bridge was opened by the Queen on 4 September 1964, cars could only get across the Forth on a ferry.

So the Forth Road Bridge, which at the time was the fourth biggest suspension bridge in the world and the longest outside the United States, was welcomed as an engineering marvel.

It transformed the journey between Edinburgh and Fife and from the north of Scotland to the south.

Traffic on the crossing grew steadily and it now carries 24 million vehicles across the Forth every year - far more than it was originally designed to handle.

But its reputation for engineering excellence has been tarnished over the years by traffic congestion and maintenance problems.

Read more on the troubles of the Forth Road Bridge

Now more than 50 years old, the planned traffic capacity of the bridge is regularly exceeded, shortening its projected lifespan.

Concern about corrosion of the main suspension cables, first confirmed more than a decade ago, prompted ministers to order a new crossing.

A new 1.4bn Queensferry Crossing over the Firth of Forth is due to open in December next year.

Image copyright Traffic Scotland Image caption The closure of the southbound carriageway had already led to major disruption on one of Scotland"s major transport routes

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35001277