Network Rail’s ten year, £130m painting and refurbishment of the Forth Bridge is complete.
For the first time there are no decorators working on the bridge. With the scaffolding which has encased the bridge for over a decade now removed, the 125-year-old structure will not need a full paint job for at least 20 years.
The project involved caging the bridge in 4,000 tonnes of scaffolding, painting over 230,000 square metres of steel and all 6.5 million rivets in the structure.
Says David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, ‘Our staff and contractors can take real pride in their achievements on this project, not least in the fact that through their efforts this amazing structure will remain free of major maintenance work for at least two decades.’
Traditionally painters started at one end of the bridge, worked across it and then painted back.
Says Marshall Scott, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, ‘Balfour Beatty is immensely proud to have successfully delivered the programme to refurbish the Forth Bridge over the past decade.
‘It is a testament to the skill and commitment of the project team, and the subcontractors and suppliers, involved in this significant and complex programme of works that the iconic Forth Bridge has been returned to its original condition.’
In the years ahead, a small team of specialists and engineers will continue to monitor and maintain the bridge.
