LISTEN: HGVs making limited return to Forth Road Bridge
The phased reintroduction of heavy goods vehicles on to the Forth Road Bridge will begin from Thursday, but it is not scheduled to fully reopen to HGVs with no restrictions until mid-March.
The phased reintroduction of heavy goods vehicles on to the Forth Road Bridge will begin from Thursday, but it is not scheduled to fully reopen to HGVs with no restrictions until mid-March.
HGVs have been banned from the bridge since it was shut down in December following the discovery of a defect.
Listen to Shiona McCallum's report here:
While the structure was reopened for cars on December 23, after almost three weeks of closure, it remained closed to lorries until a permanent repair was put in place.
The bridge's operator said at the time that it estimated HGVs would be allowed back by mid-February.
Structural monitoring installed at the truss end links of the bridge show it can now allow a limited number of HGVs to cross - up to around 600 northbound between 11pm and 4am nightly, starting from February 4, and subject to weather conditions.
The structural monitoring systems provide live data on the behaviour of the bridge.
The information has shown that the second phase of the repair work needs to be completed in full before the bridge can fully reopen to HGVs.
The impact of high wind and wet weather has limited opportunities to carry out these repairs.