Forth Road Bridge repairs "remain on track"
The repair of the Forth Road Bridge remains on track'' despite high winds which have hampered the efforts of engineers, transport minister Derek Mackay has said.
A repair plan involving plate-welding the damaged truss link and jacking it into place has now been finalised by engineering firm Amey and checked by two independent engineering firms.
An access platform is being constructed to allow welders to work day and night, when weather conditions permit.
The repair update comes after Mr Mackay said on Wednesday that former bridge operator Feta, which was governed by a board of cross-party councillors, rejected a wide programme of repair work in 2010.
It would have seen the replacement of that area and much more'' but Fetare-scoped their work'' following the advice of engineers.
Speaking from the Forth Road Bridge, Mr Mackay told the Press Association: I'm very happy that we have identified the design solution, the repair, the fix to the Forth Road Bridge.
That will allow us to begin that work and have the bridge reopen as quickly as possible.The reopening of the Forth Road Bridge remains on track.
This repair will be implemented over a two-week period. The week of design has been under way.People have been working 24/7 around the clock to deliver that, so the timescale that I've set out - that the bridge will be reopened for people going back to work for the start of the new year - is very much on track.''
Chartered engineer Mark Arndt, Amey's account director responsible for the bridge, said: Our teams have been working 24/7 since the defect was identified a little over a week ago.
Our design teams have finalised the detailed solution plan, the access platform is under construction and we've mobilised all the resources we need to begin the repair works.Progress of the repair work is vulnerable to weather conditions.
The subject of the crossing dominated First Minister's Questions earlier - here's one of the key exchanges between Nicola Sturgion and Scottish Labour leader Kez Dugdale.