Well done Transport Scotland – don’t credit smooth faced SNP Ministers for this one, it was the civil service what done this. Or the massive company they contract out to…

That’s what I was thinking, it all seems a bit north Korea with our glorious leader being credited, rather than the amey engineers and their contractors who actually did it in reality

Well, I was kidding, since there were a lot of people quick to blame the SNP for the bridge being closed, I was wondering if the same people would be just as quick to praise them for it reopening early.

In reality, it was an engineering problem and an engineering solution, with politicians responsible for neither.

Where?

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “I am pleased that we are now able to reopen the bridge to 90% of traffic, well ahead of schedule.
“Following rigorous testing and inspection of the temporary repair, experts have recommended the bridge is now ready to open to all traffic except HGVs.
“With the temporary solution now in place, the remaining work to install the long-term repair can safely proceed without the need for a full closure.
“The repairs will be carried out with overnight lane restrictions on the bridge.
“For the complex and detailed interim repair to have been completed in this timeframe is a tribute to the highly skilled and dedicated staff who have worked 24/7.

I heard they were doing a ton of other maintenance stuff while it was closed, painting etc, fixing the railings. Some joined up thinking there !

If so, nice one!

Well, well for all you guys that have suffered i think it’s worth a Yay! Which means I hope you all enjoy the trip over it even more.

Must have been a proper shite journey in and around the area..

damned if you do and damned if you don’t springs to mind.
Who’d be a politician eh? of any persuasion or hue?

I’d rather be a FRB engineer / welder 🙂

It’s great news. It means I can now go home, instead of bunking in my sister’s spare room. Glad to have had that option though, the daily 4 hour round commute would’ve been grim.

damned if you do and damned if you don’t springs to mind.

Indeed. If you’re a supporter of the government then you’re going to suggest they weren’t at fault for causing the issue, but were to be credited with fixing it. If you’re a hater then the opposite will apply.

The government neither broke it nor repaired it.

Glad my idea of just welding a plate over it has been taken on 😉 (It’s what they always do! Now just need to monitor the welds.)

Very good work by the engineers, though. Solution designed, fabricated and fitted in an amazingly short time.

I suspect that they already had all their resources committed for rail repair contracts over the holidays, otherwise the lads would be pretty gutted at losing out on the overtime they could have earned spinning the bridge repair out over Christmas and New Year 😀

Where?

Loads of general chat and bickering on Facebook on the forth bridge news items. It’s pretty weird

I’m looking forward to getting at least a couple of hours of my day back although I was quite getting into the walk through Edinburgh twice a day.
I’m struggling to see the logic of opening it to buses though – if it can’t take the weight, then they should be re-routed too – there’ll be enough capacity on the trains now.

I guess i owe my dad a very big you were right t’morn then apology, he’s a fully coded welder used to working on pharma, gas, oil and occasionally nuclear plants as he said give me a few hours with a welder, profiiled plating and i’ll have that bridge open within a day allowing for x-ray examination, damn….I hate it when he’s right……as he usually is 99.5% of the time.

Oh well……..big shoes to fill and all that…….bummer!

(secretly i’m really chuffed as his welds on stainless pharma tubing that no-one ever pays attention to could be described as art)