Scots have been given an early Christmas present with news that the Forth Road Bridge will reopen on Wednesday.
Operating company Amey says temporary repairs have been finished early, allowing the bridge to open well ahead of the January 4 target.
It will reopen to all traffic, other than HGVs, at 6am on Wednesday.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay paid tribute to the teams who have worked round the clock to make the necessary repairs.
“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 since December 3,” he said. “Since the closure was put in place, weather conditions have been mainly favourable and the team have been able to complete the repair work in good time.”
He added: “This has been an unprecedented challenge. We can’t lose sight of the fact that many people have been inconvenienced by the closure. While that is deeply regrettable, I would like to thank the transport operators who pulled out all of the stops to put on extra services.
“In fact, I am pleased to announce that ScotRail have decided to continue the additional 5:52am Fife train given the popularity of the service, for as long as demand is evident.”
Mr Mackay confirmed the aim is to have the bridge reopened to HGVs by mid-February.
“We have said all along our focus was on reopening the bridge as soon as possible and so today’s news is very welcome. However, we understand that there will be considerable disappointment that the bridge will require to remain closed to HGVs for a few more weeks.
“While HGVs account for 9% of overall traffic on the bridge, they represent 32% of the weight the bridge carries. We therefore have no choice but to accept the recommendation of the engineers.
“However, we will now work with hauliers to discuss what operational support will be available to them during the period when they cannot access the bridge. Engineers predict that following the permanent repair at the failed north east tower location, and subject to favourable weather and no further defects being identified, the bridge should reopen to HGVs by mid-February.”
Mark Arndt, of Amey, said: “Better than expected weather conditions and round-the-clock work by our teams allowed us to progress with the detailed inspection, scaffolding construction and actual repairs quicker than originally anticipated.
“While we are pleased to have finished ahead of schedule for non-HGV traffic to use the bridge, we are very aware of the on-going inconvenience for HGVs not having access.
“Public safety has been at the heart of everything we’ve been doing and work will be progressing over the coming weeks on the additional strengthening works required to enable HGVs to start safely using the bridge.”
Welcoming the news, one daily bridge commuter said: “It’s given everyone a pre-Christmas boost. You can’t put a price on that.”For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.