Motorists are facing four weekends of long delays on the Forth Road Bridge.
Emergency repairs, needed after nuts were found to be cracked, had to be abandoned last weekend due to strong winds. Now they will go ahead if the conditions are good this coming Saturday and Sunday and drivers are being urged to avoid the bridge.
FETA also announced traffic restrictions will be in place on a further three weekends to allow work to prepare for the new Forth crossing to be carried out.
Urgent repairs scheduled for last weekend were disrupted by strong winds. That means the work will now go ahead this Saturday and Sunday, when traffic will be restricted to a single lane in each direction from 3am to noon. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to cross the bridge using the west footpath/cycleway.
If weather causes work to be delayed then traffic restrictions may be extended into the afternoon. And if work cannot be completed over the weekend then restrictions will be in place from 9am to 4pm on the next available weekday, causing potential hold-ups for commuters.
Weekend traffic restrictions will also be required on Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 1, and on two further weekends after Easter on dates still to be confirmed.
FETA officials say they are working closely with colleagues from Transport Scotland, emergency services and nearby local authorities to co-ordinate the works with traffic management for the Forth Replacement Crossing project. This includes restrictions on the M90 that are due to begin on April 9.
Such is the scale of the M90 work in preparation for the Forth Replacement Crossing that ScotRail is putting on extra carriages on trains to the capital.
Motorists are being warned to avoid the area or, if they can’t, to plan ahead and ensure they factor in the extra time needed to get to special events or to catch flights from Edinburgh airport.
Furthermore, six months of night-time rock blasting at Ferrytoll will start on April 6, with rolling roadblocks put in place.
From April 9 a contraflow scheme will be running on the M90 between the Halbeath and Admiralty junctions. Two lanes for both northbound and southbound traffic will be maintained on weekdays,with expected delays of up to 30 minutes during peak times.
But for four consecutive weekends from the middle of April, major surfacing works on the southbound carriageway will reduce the M90 in this area to just one lane southbound. These restrictions are expected to result in significant delays, possibly two hours or more, and motorists are urged to avoid the area and use alternative routes or transport.
Weekend restrictions will be in place between 8pm on Friday and 6am on Monday on April 20-23, April 27-30 and May 4-7.For more information visit www.transportscotland.gov.uk