The final decision on the new Forth Crossing should be delayed until 2011/2012, by which time a new bridge may not be necessary, according to City of Edinburgh Council.
The authority wants to delay the decision until 2011/12, when the effectiveness of the dehumidification equipment will be known on the existing crossing. Recent evidence suggests that the cables supporting the existing crossing are deteriorating more slowly than previously feared.
‘If dehumidification succeeds, as evidence suggests it should, a new crossing will not be necessary,’ the council said in its response to the Scottish Government’s strategic transport review.
‘In the unlikely event that it fails, the slower cable deterioration suggests there is only a small risk that the delay in constructing a new crossing would lead to HGV restrictions before completion.’
The council argues that 12 to 14 of the 29 other projects identified in the strategic transport projects review (STPR) could be funded by the money needed for the new crossing. It also raises concerns over lack of consultation in the STPR process.
Phil Wheeler, the council’s transport convener, said: ‘I intend to write to the Scottish Government to seek guidance on how the outcomes from the review will be funded and, ultimately, progressed. ‘I will also ask for clarification on how significant projects not currently included – such as Tram line 3 or a road link to Edinburgh Airport – may find their way into the review.’
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