Forth Road Bridge
Forth Road Bridge | |
|---|---|
View from South Queensferry towards Fife, 2006 | |
| Coordinates | 56°00′03″N 03°24′15″W / 56.00083°N 3.40417°W |
| Carries |
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| Crosses | Firth of Forth |
| Locale | Edinburgh and Fife, Scotland |
| Official name | Forth Road Bridge |
| Maintained by | Transport Scotland |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension bridge |
| Total length | 2,512 m (8,241 ft) |
| Width | 33 m (108 ft) dual two-lane carriageway, two cycle/footpaths |
| Height | 156 m (512 ft) |
| Longest span | 1,006 m (3,301 ft) |
| Clearance below | 44.3 m (145 ft) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | |
| Opened | 4 September 1964 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 65,000 vpd (2012 figures) 569 vpd (2024 figures) |
| Toll | Free since 11 February 2008 |
Listed Building – Category A | |
| Official name | Forth Road Bridge With Approach Ramps And Piers |
| Designated | 21 March 2001 |
| Reference no. | LB47778 |
| Location | |
Interactive map of Forth Road Bridge | |
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the Firth of Forth in Scotland. The bridge opened in 1964 and, at the time, was the longest suspension bridge in the world outside the United States. The bridge connects Edinburgh to Fife; replacing a centuries-old ferry service to carry vehicular traffic, cyclists and pedestrians across the Forth. Railway crossings are made by the nearby Forth Bridge, opened in 1890.
The Scottish Parliament voted to abolish tolls on the bridge from February 2008. The adjacent Queensferry Crossing was opened in August 2017 to carry the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth, replacing the Forth Road Bridge which had exceeded its design capacity. At its peak, the Forth Road Bridge carried 65,000 vehicles per day.
The bridge was subsequently closed for repairs and refurbishment. It reopened in February 2018, redesignated as a dedicated public transport corridor; only certain vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists are permitted to use the bridge.