Storm Bert: Queensferry Crossing ice closure a ‘safety first’ decision

The closure of the Queensferry Crossing during Storm Bert was a “safety first” necessity, according to Scotland’s transport secretary.

The vital motorway bridge across the Firth of Forth was shut for more than 15 hours because of a risk of falling ice, and one vehicle was damaged.

Fiona Hyslop said an alternative route via the nearby Forth Road Bridge was opened to general traffic within 25 minutes.

Cables on the £1.34bn Queensferry Crossing have proved vulnerable to “ice accretions”, and Saturday’s closure was the fourth since it opened in 2017.

Ms Hyslop said the build-up of ice was due to a distinct combination of atmospheric conditions.

“We can’t necessarily fix the problems that’s caused by the combination of humidity and ice,” she told BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show.

She said other major road crossings, such as the famous bridge linking Denmark and Sweden, and another bridge in Canada have faced similar ice issues.

“I’m not going to get into the details of the design on that – but the Øresund Bridge people might be familiar with, they also have to have closures when there are similar ice accretions,” she said.

“Port Mann in Vanvouver – it’s more solid, they have to wait until the ice actually melts – but in terms of that response, safety always has to come first.”

The risk of falling ice was detected on the Queensferry Crossing by monitoring systems at 10:20 on Saturday morning as Storm Bert brought snow and disruption to many parts of Scotland.

Barriers were closed and traffic was quickly diverted to the old Forth Road Bridge, which is normally reserved for buses and taxis.

The crossing reopened at 01:48 on Sunday morning.

“Having that alternative of the Forth Road Bridge is anticipated as the best and most rapid response,” Hyslop said.

“That was actually tested at the beginning ot this month – they could divert to that within 14 minutes. And it took 25 minutes yesterday.”

The 1.7 mile (2.7km) bridge which carries the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth was Scotland’s biggest infrastructure project in a generation when it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in September 2017.

Corrosion in cables on the Forth Road Bridge, which had opened in 1964, meant it was a priority to reduce the volume of traffic on the older crossing.

But three years later it emerged that the cables used on the new bridge are more prone to icing problems than the earlier bridge which has only once been closed by ice during its lifetime.

Eight vehicles were damaged by falling ice during the first closure in 2020 – and drivers then faced a lengthy diversion via the Kincardine Bridge.

In 2021 it was announced that the technicians would abseil down the bridge and use soap and water to clean the cables in an attempt to address the icing issue.

Saturday’s closure was the first since that action was taken.

Bear Scotland, which maintains and operates the Queensferry Crossing, says its long term aim is to find a permanent solution, but until that happens the best it can do is monitor conditions and shut the bridge when it becomes dangerous.

Bridges manager Dave Bishop said: “The safety of bridge users comes first, and we therefore made the decision to temporarily close the Queensferry Crossing when we identified ice falling from the cable stays and towers of the Queensferry Crossing.

He added: “The diversion over the Forth Road Bridge using the recently installed, fully automated barriers went well.”