Despite significant investment and maintenance over its lifetime, the
current Forth Road Bridge is showing signs of deterioration and is not
suitable as the long-term main crossing of the Firth of Forth. The FRC
is designed to safeguard this vital cross-Forth connection in Scotland's
transport network.
Construction will commence in Autumn 2011 following the completion of a
two-year procurement process that has delivered significant savings on
the scheme’s previous expected cost.
All three main contracts that make up the FRC project have now been
awarded, with all three successful bids coming in under budget.
The Principal Contract to build the new bridge and connecting roads was
awarded to the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC) consortium with
a successful tender price of £790m, significantly below the original
estimated price range of £900 to £1.2 billion.
The contract to install elements of the project’s Intelligent Transport
System (ITS) on the M90 in Fife was awarded to John Graham (Dromore)
Ltd, with a successful tender price of £12.9 million, below the original
£15m to £22m estimated range.
Finally, the contract to upgrade M9 Junction 1a at Kirkliston has been
awarded to a consortium between John Sisk and Roadbridge with a
successful tender price of £25.6m, again substantially below the
estimated price range of £45m to £65m.
The lower than expected costs of these contracts means the total
estimated cost range of delivering the FRC project is now £1.45 billion
to £1.60 billion, a substantial reduction on the previous estimate of
£1.7 billion to £2.3 billion.
The FRC project is currently on track to be delivered in 2016 and will
replace the current Forth Road Bridge as the main crossing for
cross-Forth traffic.
Background
The Forth Replacement Crossing Study was undertaken during 2006 and 2007
to identify the most favourable option for a replacement crossing. Five
potential crossing corridors were identified and appraised for
suitability according to a range of factors.
Following this study, the Scottish Government determined that the FRC
would be a cable-stayed bridge to the west of the existing Forth Road
Bridge.
During 2008 Transport Scotland carried out further work to develop the
crossing strategy and concluded that the existing Forth Road Bridge
could be retained as a dedicated public transport corridor; with the
replacement crossing carrying all other traffic.
In November 2009 Scottish Ministers introduced the Forth Crossing Bill
to the Scottish Parliament. The Bill contained the Scottish Government's
proposals for the FRC and was approved by MSPs on 15 December 2010.
Royal Assent was received on 20 January 2011, with the Forth Crossing
Act coming into force on 18 March 2011.
This website is updated regularly to provide the latest project information.
