Scotland’s incredible £1.3bn triple-tower bridge | UK | News

An incredible £1.3 billion bridge in Scotland holds the title of the world’s longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge.

Construction of the 1.7-mile Queensferry Crossing, which links the Lothians to Fife, began in 2011 after weakening of the main cables of the Forth Road Bridge was discovered.

The new crossing opened in 2017 after six years of construction and sits alongside the Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Bridge over the Firth of Forth.

It connects Edinburgh to South Queensferry and Fife to North Queensferry and carries most local traffic.

Its venerable predecessor continues to serve buses, bicycles and pedestrians.

The Queensferry Crossing had an expected lifespan of 120 years when it opened.

However, experts suggest the Queensferry Crossing could exceed expectations due to its “maintenance-friendly” design.

The first plans for a new bridge across the Firth of Forth began to emerge in the 1990s, despite fierce opposition from environmentalists.

The expected lifespan of the Forth Road Bridge has been questioned, as it was originally designed to handle 11 million vehicles per year, but was regularly exceeding this figure by 2006.

Safety checks on the bridge revealed that its main suspension cables had already suffered a considerable loss of strength due to corrosion, highlighting the need for a new crossing.

Preparatory work for the Queensferry Crossing began in September 2011 along the southern end of the M90.

Parts of the bridge deck were built in China and Spain, then delivered by sea two years later, while the steel approach sections of the bridge were built in Darlington.

The new bridge was due to be completed in December 2016, but the deadline was pushed back to May 2017 due to weather delays.

The late Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the bridge on September 4, 2017.

A series of new roads have also been built, including one linking the M90 ​​and M9 for the first time.