Forth Road Bridge work begins

Work was being carried out on the Forth Road Bridge yesterday to start the lengthy process of replacing almost 2,000 heavy-duty nuts.

After a routine check last year, bridge inspectors found nine cracked nuts, which prompted bridge operators Forth Estuary Transport Authority (Feta) to carry out an investigation.

This led to the decision being taken to replace all 1,888 nuts on the road bridge, as a precaution.

The nuts are used to secure 192 “cable bands” to the bridge’s main cables.

Cable bands are metal castings over which the steel rope hangers holding up the roadway are looped.

Each cable band is held in place by a number of 35mm diameter steel bolts, pre-tensioned to a load of about 80 tonnes.

Workers on the bridge yesterday scaled the main suspension cables, 460ft above the sea, as they fitted a temporary cable band in preparation for work to be carried out on replacing the nuts.

Replacement of four failed nuts on the west cable, using access platforms already in place has so far been completed. The five failed nuts on the east cable will be replaced in the course of this year.

The work to replace all the nuts is expected to be carried out over the next few years.