Queensferry Crossing ice closure a 'safety first' decision

The closure of the Queensferry Crossing during Storm Bert was a "safety first" necessity, according to Scotland's transport secretary.

The captious motorway span crossed the Firth of Forth was unopen for much than 15 hours due to the fact that of a hazard of falling ice, and 1 conveyance was damaged.

Fiona Hyslop said an alternate way via the adjacent Forth Road Bridge was opened to wide postulation wrong 25 minutes.

Cables connected the £1.34bn Queensferry Crossing person proved susceptible to "ice accretions", and Saturday's closure was the 4th since it opened successful 2017.

Ms Hyslop said the build-up of crystal was owed to a chiseled operation of atmospheric conditions.

"We can't needfully hole the problems that's caused by the operation of humidity and ice," she told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show.

She said different large roadworthy crossings, specified arsenic the celebrated span linking Denmark and Sweden, and different span successful Canada person faced akin crystal issues.

"I'm not going to get into the details of the plan connected that - but the Øresund Bridge radical mightiness beryllium acquainted with, they besides person to person closures erstwhile determination are akin crystal accretions," she said.

"Port Mann successful Vanvouver - it's much solid, they person to hold until the crystal really melts - but successful presumption of that response, information ever has to travel first."

The hazard of falling crystal was detected connected the Queensferry Crossing by monitoring systems astatine 10:20 connected Saturday greeting arsenic Storm Bert brought snowfall and disruption to galore parts of Scotland.

Barriers were closed and postulation was rapidly diverted to the aged Forth Road Bridge, which is usually reserved for buses and taxis.

The crossing reopened astatine 01:48 connected Sunday morning.

"Having that alternate of the Forth Road Bridge is anticipated arsenic the champion and astir accelerated response," Hyslop said.

"That was really tested astatine the opening ot this period - they could divert to that wrong 14 minutes. And it took 25 minutes yesterday."

The 1.7 mile (2.7km) span which carries the M90 motorway crossed the Firth of Forth was Scotland's biggest infrastructure task successful a procreation erstwhile it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II successful September 2017.

Corrosion successful cables connected the Forth Road Bridge, which had opened successful 1964, meant it was a precedence to trim the measurement of postulation connected the older crossing.

But 3 years aboriginal it emerged that the cables utilized connected the caller span are much prone to icing problems than the earlier span which has lone erstwhile been closed by crystal during its lifetime.

Eight vehicles were damaged by falling crystal during the archetypal closure successful 2020 - and drivers past faced a lengthy diversion via the Kincardine Bridge.

In 2021 it was announced that the technicians would abseil down the bridge and usage soap and h2o to cleanable the cables successful an effort to code the icing issue.

Saturday's closure was the archetypal since that enactment was taken.

Bear Scotland, which maintains and operates the Queensferry Crossing, says its agelong word purpose is to find a imperishable solution, but until that happens the champion it tin bash is show conditions and unopen the span erstwhile it becomes dangerous.

Bridges manager Dave Bishop said: “The information of span users comes first, and we truthful made the determination to temporarily adjacent the Queensferry Crossing erstwhile we identified crystal falling from the cablegram stays and towers of the Queensferry Crossing.

He added: "The diversion implicit the Forth Road Bridge utilizing the precocious installed, afloat automated barriers went well."