BOSSES AT the Forth road bridge say they are confident that they will be able to complete the painting of the south tower by autumn.

Work was suspended in January after the specially designed painting platform was damaged during a storm.

A floor panel came loose and the bridge had to be completely closed to traffic.

The decision to shut the crossing caused chaos on the surrounding road network and led to lengthy delays for tens of thousands of drivers.

Vehicles were rerouted via Kincardine, but traffic on roads leading to and from that bridge soon ground to a halt.

However, officials at the Forth Estuary Transport Authority were left with little option as a piece of the platform could be seen dangling precariously above the road.

The bridge was shut towards the tail end of the morning rush hour on January 9 and did not reopen until after 6pm the same day.

A subsequent investigation found a problem with the floor panels on the painting rig, which was designed to withstand winds higher than those recorded in January.

The damage was done as the wind gusted at speeds of up to 81mph.

Engineers were unable to repair the damage until the wind died down in the late afternoon.

A spokesman for FETA told The Courier, “An initial review of the painting platform has been carried out.

“Modifications are currently being made to the floor panels, and we intend to recommence work on the south tower later this summer.

“The upper reaches of the tower have already been painted.

“We are satisfied that the platform will be safe to use at lower levels using the redesigned floor panels.”

He added, “We expect to complete the job by autumn this year, after which the dropped object canopy will be dismantled and put into storage.

“A more extensive review of the platform’s design will be carried out before painting of the north tower begins in 2010/11.”