Network Rail announced today that its 10-year, £130m programme of refurbishment and repainting on the Forth Bridge has reached an end.
With the scaffolding which has encased the bridge for over a decade now removed, the 125-year-old structure will not need a full paint job for at least 20 years.
The project, delivered by Network Rail and main contractor Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, involved encasing the bridge in up to 4,000 tonnes of scaffolding, painting over 230,000sqm of steel and all 6.5 million rivets in the structure.
Over the life of the project more than 1,500 people have worked on the structure, with up to 400 people a day on the bridge at the height of the refurbishment works.
David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, said:
“The completion of this refurbishment will safeguard the future of one of the country’s most famous landmarks.
“Repainting the bridge has long been considered one of the world’s never-ending tasks, and the refurbishment programme we have just completed has been one of the biggest engineering challenges Network Rail has faced.
“Our staff and contractors can take real pride in their achievements on this project, not least in the fact that through their efforts this amazing structure will remain free of major maintenance work for at least two decades.”
Marshall Scott, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, added:
“Balfour Beatty is immensely proud to have successfully delivered the programme to refurbish the Forth Bridge over the past decade.
“It is a testament to the skill and commitment of the project team, and the subcontractors and suppliers, involved in this significant and complex programme of works that the iconic Forth Bridge has been returned to its original condition.”
With the main refurbishment work completed, contractors will continue to work around the structure between now and spring 2012, decommissioning site compounds and restoring the public viewing area at the North Queensferry side of the bridge.
In the years ahead, a small team of specialists and engineers will continue to monitor and maintain the bridge, which is regularly exposed to extreme conditions due to its location above the Firth of Forth.
