By Lars Niven

WIND SHIELDING to stop high-sided vehicles from being blown over has not been fitted to the new bridge at Kincardine, The Courier can exclusively reveal today.

However, officials at the government agency behind the £120 million project say it shouldn’t need it as the original Kincardine Bridge has never been shut by bad weather—and that has been open since 1936.

Concerns have been voiced the new crossing may not be able to help ease congestion around the Kincardine Bridge when the Forth Road Bridge is closed to high-sided vehicles.

Thousands of heavy goods vehicles, vans, caravans and buses have to be diverted away from the Queensferry bridgehead areas to Kincardine each time that happens.

Anyone who has been stuck in the ensuing traffic jams will know just how bad the problem has become in recent years.

This winter has seen some of the worst congestion on record, with a combination of strong winds and accidents closing the Forth Road Bridge.

On January 9 the bridge had to be shut completely for several hours when part of the painting gantry on the south tower came loose.

On January 31 an HGV heading for Fife was knocked on to the central reservation and on March 12 another lorry was blown over by a freak gust.

The northbound carriageway was also closed on April 18 when a van carrying chemicals hit a barrier on the Fife side of the bridge and ended up blocking the dual carriageway.

All four incidents caused chaos around Kincardine.

A source told The Courier, “I think a lot of people assumed wind shielding would be designed in to a new bridge.

“Perhaps that’s a little naive, but the fact it hasn’t been has raised a few eyebrows.

“One of the arguments in favour of the new bridge was it would help alleviate some of the pressure on the Kincardine Bridge whenever the Forth Road Bridge is closed or restrictions are in operation.

“If the new bridge can’t cope with bad weather and high-sided vehicles can’t use it then it won’t help matters.

“People are keeping their fingers crossed they’ve got their calculations right.

“If they haven’t it’s going to be very embarrassing.”

A spokesman for Transport Scotland insisted, “The Upper Forth Crossing will not require wind shielding given its location and the surrounding landscape.

“The new bridge is in a similar location and height in the Forth Estuary to the existing Kincardine Bridge, which has never closed as a result of high winds.”

Willie Rennie, the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, said he would be seeking assurances from Transport Scotland that the matter had been checked out.

“It would be bizarre if Transport Scotland had not considered the potential impact of high winds on the new Kincardine Bridge,” he said.

Wind shielding is to be included on the new bridge at Queensferry, which is due to open in 2016, but it will sit much higher than the Upper Forth Crossing.

Mr Rennie has also called for a full-scale contingency plan to prevent gridlock when high winds shut the Forth Road Bridge.

He said a stacking system used for vehicles waiting to board cross-Channel ferries in England should be replicated in Scotland.

It would filter lorries and high-sided vehicles away from the crossing and on to alternative routes.

A special radio station would transmit advice.

The Lib Dem MP said an alternative had to be found to the recent police roadblocks.

He has written to transport minister Stewart Stevenson suggesting the measure, which has been dubbed Operation Filter, to prevent huge tailbacks developing on routes around the bridge.

The name is a variation of Operation Stack, which Kent Police operates on the M20 motorway leading to Dover.

Mr Rennie said, “Traffic chaos during high winds causes my constituents a lot of grief.

“There will always be some disruption, we have to accept that. However, Operation Filter will go a long way to minimise the wait during high winds.”