The Queensferry Crossing

[Jack]

I'm surprised this hasn't had a mention in the last week. Maybe still celebrating, the European Stuff X2, the Ozzy floods, whatever.

6 months ago, when the old bridge broke we were assured the new bridge was under budget and ON TIME.

I was fortunate enough to be given a tour of the thing about a year ago. I think I explained here that although the accounting was little creative it was still under budget by my way of thinking.

I was also told that the bridge would be finished in December this year. Enough leeway had been built in that weather wasn't really an issue.

During the closure of the current bridge we were ALL assured of the December opening of the new bridge.

We're now told that the weather we had then was the worst we've had in the area for over 90 years. To be honest I can't remember it being that bad. There's been worse winds and storms in my lifetime and there's certainly been worse snow storms in the last few years.

Because of this apparent extreme weather we've had in the last six months the bridge is going to be 6 months late! OK they're saying that was the original date but let's be fair here if you tell someone often enough and for long enough about a revised opening date reverting to an original date isn't acceptable at this late stage

I've got a keen eye for the weather and I've noticed we've not been witnessing any sort of weather apocalypse since December. Do they think we all have our eyes painted on? In fact most days of the 180 or so days since they were on a December 2016 finish have, I'd suggest, been fair to good.

Arithmetic has always been a strong point of mine but I'm struggling to see how a few bad days weather has added 6 months to the completion date.

Do we have any bridge/construction engineering experts on the Bounce who may be able to explain the delay?

 

[Hibee Kev]

Spoke to a boy in my local a couple of months ago and he indicated there were some serious structural issues with the new bridge which had come to light. Can't remember the precise detail but have a vague recollection of it being something to do with corrosion within the main support pillars? He said at the time the guys involved had been instructed not to talk about it. Didn't think much of it at the time but with the recently announced delays maybe there was some truth in it? Not a civil/structural engineer so couldn't really grill the guy to try and extract more detail! Could well be bullshit!

 

[Jack]

Cheers Kev. A guy in the pub is expert enough for an interweb forum debate.

Speaking of the construction though. I pass over the old bridge twice a week, once to go to Fife and later that day to escape from Fife!

I've noticed that the land extention from the Fife side is very very close to meeting the first sea bit. Honestly I'm concentrating on driving but the 40 feckin mph average speed cameras mean I've got a bit of time to look over and it doesn't look as though the road bits are matching up. I noticed this before the announcement.

Maybe our resident bridge photographer could spend a bit of time there and confirm or discount this observation.

 

[Doc Shrink]

The two parts are quite a bit askew in terms of height Jack. That’s not a problem and will be adjusted by basically ‘balancing’ the bridge and tightening/loosening the cables as appropriate until they come into line, as opposed to making traffic go up steps.

 

[Forzahibs]

Could've got some great pics of the bridges shrouded in mist at 3am this morning , unfortunately my wife is back at work at lunchtime and would've killed me if i'd suggested it

 

[Jack]

The two parts are quite a bit askew in terms of height Jack. That’s not a problem and will be adjusted by basically ‘balancing’ the bridge and tightening/loosening the cables as appropriate until they come into line, as opposed to making traffic go up steps.

While that sounds perfectly plausible your record for serious responses on this forum is at a premium. I'll wait on the guy from the pub to confirm. Thanks ;-)

 

[hibbybilly]

Cheers Kev. A guy in the pub is expert enough for an interweb forum debate.

Speaking of the construction though. I pass over the old bridge twice a week, once to go to Fife and later that day to escape from Fife!

I've noticed that the land extention from the Fife side is very very close to meeting the first sea bit. Honestly I'm concentrating on driving but the 40 feckin mph average speed cameras mean I've got a bit of time to look over and it doesn't look as though the road bits are matching up. I noticed this before the announcement.

Maybe our resident bridge photographer could spend a bit of time there and confirm or discount this observation.

Jack I put that on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was just me that thought they're no meeting. I put it down to optical illusion.

- - - Updated - - -

btw rags, I was coming over the bridge the other day, Fife tae Embra, and it looks like the road leading from tower 1 tae the middle tower is lower that the road from the middle tower tae tower 1. I hope its an optical illusion :-D

Here it is

 

[jock3]

I'm a bridge engineer by day;

According to reliable sources, difficult weather conditions are the cause of the 5 month construction delay to the new crossing. With it being a cable-stayed type the construction method is particularly wind sensitive. The actual downtime is estimated at 40% rather than the 25% assumed by the bridge constructor. Concidentally it is believed there is a little bit more service life expected of the old bridge aided by the installation of a precise monitoring regime, so the original deadline of December 2016 is not as crucial.

 

[Beagle]

Opening on 30 August.

Then getting closed for 2 day so folk can walk over it.

There's a ballot if you want to walk over it. Mind you need photo id to do it.

Don't tell me the Gunts aren't auctioning it?

 

[Kenny]

Queensferry Crossing Experience

50K spaces to walk it - balloted....link above

 

[beefy]

It's very impressive. :raisehat:



" The scale of the new Queensferry Crossing is enormous but don't just take our word for it, the numbers speak for themselves:
15...days of pouring concrete 24/7 to achieve the Queensferry Crossing's first world record for the longest continuous underwater pour. The concrete was poured to the foundations of the South Tower.
23...Kelpies could be built using the same amount of steel required in the build of the North and South viaducts (the start and end of the Crossing). 7,000 tonnes of steel was used just for these sections.
25...percent higher than the Forth Road Bridge. The Queensferry Crossing will be 207 metres above high tide (683ft) which is 50 metres higher than the Road Bridge.
48...London Buses that you would need to stack on top of each other to reach the same height as the towers of the Queensferry Crossing.
65...options were considered before the cable-stayed bridge design of the Queensferry Crossing was selected as the best to proceed with.
110...deck sections which make up the bridge deck. Each one of these sections can weigh up to 750 tonnes!
200...Boeing 747 planes are the equivalent weight of the amount of steel required for the bridge deck.
23,000...miles of cabling used. Laid out, this would very nearly stretch around the entire planet Earth.
150,000...tonnes of concrete poured over the course of the project. This is nearly the same amount used for the entire London Olympic Park and Athletes Village.
10,000,000...man hours approximately that were involved in the construction."


Queensferry Crossing Experience

 

[NW]

Surely do the walk thing then open it?

 

[Davy]

was under it today on the boat trip..think that will do for me :smug:

 

[hibbybilly]

More info on traffic management once new bridge opens.

30-31 Aug - all traffic on new bridge, forth road bridge closed.

1-7 Sept - all traffic back on forth road bridge, new bridge shut for stupid walking across by pedestrians.

8 Sept onwards - all traffic back on new bridge, forth road bridge shut for repairs.

mid October /November - forth road bridge opened as a transport corridor.

https://www.theforthbridges.org/plan-your-journey/road-user-guide/

Radge way of doing things S, why no just let them walk over the bridge before it opens? Old Lizzie might be a bit auld for the walk but they could bung her in a wheelchair when her legs get sair.

 

[hibbybilly]

I've not seen anything reported but i think there's been some clause that there had to be traffic on that bridge before 1 September or they'd be some massive penalty to pay.

Shirley be able tae walk across it now though
Even the week before 1st? Loadi shite anyway, there's nane pedestrian walkway on the new bridge so what's the point in having this? What am I gettin sae worked up about it? What time does the walk start? ... dinnae want tae be late :laff:

 

[Jack]

I've not seen anything reported but i think there's been some clause that there had to be traffic on that bridge before 1 September or they'd be some massive penalty to pay.

The builders are already paying penalties for being late.

The bridge will have been handed over to the Scottish Government before the folk do the walk.