The land earmarked for the new Forth crossing will be scoured by an archaeological team appointed to the project.
As The Courier reported this week, Transport Scotland is to appoint a “time team” to carry out studies on the land from the summer.
Working with Historic Scotland, areas of archaeological potential which may be affected by the project have been identified north and south of the estuary.
Negotiations are to begin shortly between Transport Scotland and landowners over access to sites not owned by Scottish ministers.
The contract notice for the land-based archaeological works issued by Transport Scotland includes geophysical surveys, trial trenches and hand excavations.
Steven Brown, Transport Scotland’s roads team manager for the Forth replacement crossing, said the archaeological work would involve scraping away topsoil, trench excavation of the subsoil and then inspecting the area.
Further investigations may take place if historical features are identified.
“The areas of archaeological interest are already very well mapped, but we recognise the need to take all practicable measures to ensure items of historical interest are preserved,” he said.
Elsewhere on the project, computer simulations have allowed pilots to steer virtual ships along the Forth as if the bridge was already built.
The simulation allows pilots to practise navigating the new crossing during construction and when completed to ensure vital shipping channels continue to operate effectively.
Similar to an aircraft flight simulator, the system allows a number of ship types to be tested in real-time.
The pilots sit in a mock-up of a ship control room and their field of vision is filled by a realistic computer-generated model of the estuary, existing rail and road bridges, and the new Forth crossing.