Infrastructure Investment

Queensferry Crossing: The Marvel on the Forth

The SNP in government has committed to the largest transport investment programme that Scotland has ever seen despite relentless Westminster budget cuts.

Major road and rail infrastructure projects have been completed, including the £745 million Aberdeen Bypass and the Borders Railway – the longest new domestic railway to be built in Britain in over 100 years.

One achievement that particularly stands out is the delivery of the £1.35 billion marvel on the Forth – the Queensferry Crossing.

The new crossing is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world and was delivered £245 million below budget – the largest Scottish infrastructure project for a generation.

The Queensferry Crossing has the tallest towers of any bridge in the UK. It also saw the creation and upgrading of connecting roads on either side of the bridge.

By adding the Queensferry Crossing to the existing Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge (FRB), we safeguarded cross-Forth travel at this location, which is one of the most vital connections in Scotland’s transport network. An intelligent transport system (ITS) was introduced, which has delivered more reliable journey times and improved user safety.

The crossing touched the lives of many during its development, creating 1,200 job opportunities in the local area and enabling many sub-contracts and supply orders from Scottish companies. The project created employment for more than 15,000 people from over 30 nationalities, with up to 1,500 people onsite at one time – 44% of the workforce were from local areas, and 43% from elsewhere in Scotland.

Audit Scotland acknowledged that the Queensferry Crossing project was managed effectively and had delivered value for money. But the Forth Bridges – each one a world record holder in its own right – are much more than a means of travel, having taken their place among the world’s iconic monuments.