Structural fault is a hard nut to crack

15 April 2009

An interim report into the failure of nine heavy-duty nuts on the Forth Road Bridge has concluded that all 1,888 similar nuts on the structure should be replaced.

Bridge inspectors found the cracked nuts during a routine inspection last year, before bridge authority FETA ordered the full investigation.

The nuts are used to secure 192 cable bands to the bridge’s main cables and were replaced in the late 1990s, as part of a larger project to replace the hanger ropes.

Bridgemaster and chief engineer, Barry Colford, said: ‘Thanks to the vigilance of our inspection team, this problem was identified at an early stage and the bridge remains perfectly safe.

‘Nevertheless, our investigation has concluded that any of these nuts could potentially fail in future, so the recommendation is to replace them all as a precaution.’

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