Forth Road Bridge repair wins engineering award

The Forth Road Bridge was closed for 20 days while engineers fixed the truss end link

The project to repair damaged steelwork, which led to the closure of the Forth Road Bridge in 2015, has won a prestigious engineering award.

Amey engineers were given the Greatest Contribution to Scotland Award at the 2016 Saltire Society Civil Engineering Awards.

Judges described the repair to the "truss end link" on the bridge as "a remarkable" engineering feat.

The fault resulted in the bridge's closure on 3 December for three weeks.

The bridge, which opened in 1964, was shut after the fractured steelwork was found during an inspection three weeks before Christmas.

'Structural integrity'

That resulted in major disruption to the region, with the 70,000 vehicles that use the bridge daily being diverted along a 33-mile route to the Kincardine Bridge.

Award judges said that by repairing the bridge ahead of schedule and under "extreme media, political and public scrutiny", the lives of commuters and travellers were able to return to normal after only 20 days of disruption.

Convenor of the judging panel Gordon Pomphrey, said: "The Forth Road Bridge project demonstrated a remarkable engineering achievement carried out during a period of adverse weather conditions, whilst ensuring public safety and the structural integrity of the bridge."

The bridge, which carries 70,000 vehicles a day, was closed to traffic for 20 days on 3 December 2015

Speaking on behalf of Amey, major bridges director Ewan Angus said the project offered a "unique opportunity to showcase civil engineering to the nation.

He added: "We are incredibly proud of our team's achievement in reopening the bridge early in the most challenging of circumstances and of the benefit this brought to the people of Scotland."

Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands added: "It is fitting that the unsung heroes responsible for developing such an innovative and effective solution against a challenging deadline and under the watchful eye of a nation have been recognised for their efforts."

Also recognised at the awards was the realignment of the A82 at Pulpit Rock, which won the infrastructure award.

The A82 was reduced to a single lane more than 30 years ago following a land-slip. The project team widened the road over the 400m-long pinch point.

Commendations were also given to the teams behind the Lamington viaduct work, Gourock Pier Redevelopment and the £86m Elgin Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Commendations were also given to the team behind repairs to the Lamington Viaduct, damaged by flood water