By Lars Niven

THE FORTH Road Bridge could last for years to come, according to the new man in charge of looking after the grade-A listed structure.

Bridgemaster Barry Colford insists there is no reason why the 44-year-old crossing should be demolished just because the main cables are corroding.

A recent study carried out by government agency Transport Scotland suggested the bridge could be demolished relatively quickly if need be.

It would cost £130 million to pull it down.

However, Mr Colford said he believes it would make more sense to repair the cables, which could be done for about £10 million less.

The only questions are if, or when, that will need to be done.

Engineers at the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) are about to start pumping warm air through the two giant cables which support the road deck.

The hope is dehumidification will dry them out and halt, or slow down, the corrosion in the 23,236 steel wires that make up the cables.

A study in 2004 revealed some wires had snapped and many others were showing signs of wear and tear.

That prompted Mr Colford’s predecessor, Alastair Andrew, to warn the bridge might have to close to HGVs by 2013 and to all traffic five years later if the problem could not be solved.

Engineers revealed recently the cables could be replaced but the job could take up to nine years to complete and the bridge would have to close.

Complete closure would cost the Scottish economy an estimated £1 billion and put thousands of jobs at risk.

In the meantime the Scottish Government took the decision to build a new crossing west of the existing road bridge.

It is scheduled to open in 2016 and Mr Colford said it could ensure the Forth Road Bridge’s long-term survival.

Just what problems he and his colleagues at FETA face will not be known until 2011, after they know if dehumidification has worked.

He told The Courier, “We’ll have to establish where we are in 2011 and make a determination of what the loading is, what the strength is and take it from there.

“We are pretty hopeful and optimistic that we’ll be running traffic out there without any restrictions after that point.”

He insisted the Forth Bridge, which opened in 1890, shows what could be done.

“Bridges in the UK and in Europe are designed with a 120-year lifespan, but the Forth Bridge is now passing that point,” he said.

“No-one expects you would knock down or decommission the railway bridge just because it’s reached the end of its theoretical service.

“There’s a determination it’s 120 years, but we are pretty hopeful traffic will be running on this bridge for years to come.”

Mr Colford added, “It would seem an odd decision to decommission a bridge with all the approach roads, the towers, the superstructure, just because one critical element is corroding.

“If we do have to reach a decision which will be taken, I guess it will be an engineering solution put forward and the engineering solution as we know from the report that went to the board a couple of weeks ago is that we can replace the cable.

“It does cause significant disruption, because the best way of replacing a main cable on a suspension bridge is when it’s closed to users.

“That opportunity may come about with the second crossing.”

Tony Martin, FETA board chairman, believes the road bridge will be around for years to come.

He said, “To be frank, I’ve always thought it would cost as much to take this bridge down as it would to fix it.

“It would seem to me a good idea just to fix it, because the cost of dismantling it would be enormous as well.

“I don’t think that’s an option.”