Thousands to walk the Queensferry Crossing for 'once in a lifetime' experience

Thousands of people will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to cross the Queensferry Crossing this weekend.

The 50,000 ticket holders will be joined on the crossing between Edinburgh and Fife on Saturday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Transport Minister Humza Yousaf.

The chance to walk 1.7-mile bridge is a one-off opportunity as it has no pedestrian walkway.

A ballot for the crossing experience, which takes place across Saturday and Sunday, attracted almost 250,000 entries.

The £1.35 billion bridge, which closed to traffic on Friday in preparation for the event, will be officially opened by the Queen on Monday.

Ms Sturgeon said: ''Excitement has been building steadily in recent weeks as we have watched this hugely ambitious project near completion.

It's only right that the public get the chance of an up close and personal look at this amazing structure so they can see the stunning engineering and views for themselves.

Walking across the new Queensferry Crossing will be a once in a lifetime experience, before it is officially opened to traffic and pedestrian access continues on the Forth Road Bridge. I look forward to joining some of the 50,000 people lucky enough to participate in this unique opportunity.''

Mr Yousaf added: ''It's important to recognise the efforts of those workers who have delivered this project in challenging conditions, £245 million under budget.

That is a staggering achievement and we want to build on the momentum that these celebrations will create.

There has been interest from all around the globe and events this weekend can only serve to heighten that enthusiasm further.''

Local schools and community groups will be allowed to walk over the structure on Tuesday before it closes to pedestrians.

The crossing will remain closed to traffic until Thursday, with vehicles re-directed back to the Forth Road Bridge during this time.