There are no plans to replace the deck on the Forth Road Bridge.
Over the years, the thousands of commuters who use the bridge every day have got used to the “bump” of passing over a joint every 18 metres.
But Bridgemaster Barry Colford, who addressed the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Scotland, said there was no plan and just as importantly nothing factored in any budget to go to the extreme of replacing the entire deck.
He told The Courier: “As many of the bridge’s users know, they do experience these bumps across the carriageway about every 18 metres. They are caused by local detail underneath the deck.
“We have tried to fix it as it is getting worse each year. It is a bit of a poor detail in the original design and is quite difficult to address.”
“With nearly 800 supports to the joints on the bridge, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this September, it is not an easy task.
“And it involves a significant amount of money to repair.
“We are still looking at the right solution but we haven’t budgeted for anything,” he added.
Mr Colford said the “bump” drivers experience was “one of the peculiarities of the bridge”.
“We have no plans to do anything significant to replace the deck that is not on the horizon and there is no provision for that.”
Mr Colford said his talk to Ice Scotland had been “more horizon scanning, seeing what we could do with the deck.
“Replacing the deck is not in our plans.”
There is a rolling 15-year programme of major projects to strengthen and improve the bridge’s structure and replace major components.
This is set out in the Forth Estuary Transport Authority’s long-term capital plan.
“No project to replace the deck of the Forth Road Bridge has ever appeared in this plan and nobody is proposing that such a project be undertaken now or in the future,” he added.
Once the Queensferry Crossing opens at the end of 2016, the Forth Road Bridge will become a public transport corridor across the river.