Thank you for the opportunity to set out our role in the Forth road bridge closure. Transport Scotland welcomes the inquiry, and it will endeavour to fully explain our understanding of the incident and detail the considerable work that has been undertaken to reopen the Forth road bridge and effect a permanent repair. Our assembled panel has been fully involved in the response to the incident and in providing subsequent advice to the Scottish ministers on the closure and the proposed repairs.
The decision to close the bridge was necessary to maintain public safety and the structural integrity of the bridge. That decision was not taken lightly; it was firmly based on the expert opinion of our engineers and backed up by our independent experts, who are here today.
Our full focus remains on repairing the bridge as quickly as possible. However, we welcome the opportunity to clarify some of the points that have been raised in relation to the defect.
Following the decision to dissolve the Forth Estuary Transport Authority and appoint an operating company for both crossings, Amey took over the responsibility for the bridge in June 2015. Amey continues to use the same well-tested FETA procedures to inspect, manage and maintain the bridge with the same well-experienced staff complemented by Amey’s own considerable resources. The procedures that are followed represent good industry practice and are undertaken by experienced staff who have a thorough knowledge of the bridge.
We ensured that there were no compulsory redundancies as a result of the transfer in order to retain the unique knowledge and experience that had been built up among long-serving staff. That approach was successful. The vast majority of FETA employees transferred into Amey. Two staff opted to leave, but not before comprehensive shadowing and handover processes were completed. The bridge manager left several months before the dissolution to join our operating company in the north-west of Scotland, where he still works. The bridge master left two months afterwards to take up a significant post abroad.
There have been questions about the level of funding that was provided to maintain the structure since tolls were removed in 2008. The last six years of tolls generated an average annual income of around £10.5 million and since 2008 the Scottish Government has provided funding of nearly £108 million, so year on year the average budgets were similar to those prior to toll removal. If funding for emergency safety-critical work was required, FETA had the opportunity to draw on its own financial reserves or discuss the need with Transport Scotland. That occurred, for example, in relation to the repair of the cable band bolts, and additional funds were provided from our own maintenance budgets.
FETA’s indicative forward capital programme was considered and funding provided to meet its contractual requirements and deliver capital maintenance on a prioritised needs basis. Transport Scotland made grant offers in line with the outcome of discussions with FETA officials and those were accepted by the FETA board.
Moving on to the truss end link assembly project, FETA had considered works to that arrangement since 2006. Over the years, a number of reports have been considered on possible ways to strengthen that area of the bridge. During all of that, no issue with the truss end link member or the pin joint was identified, rather the principal concern related to the tower bracket weld strengths, which, although part of the truss end link assembly, are unrelated to the unexpected defect that closed the bridge.
By 2009, a preliminary preferred option was identified, which would see the entire truss end link assembly replaced at eight locations with an estimated cost of up to £15 million. However, that concept was at an embryonic stage and FETA decided to seek to appoint a consultant to design the final solution. That tender opportunity was advertised in May 2010 but was withdrawn in March 2011 due to affordability issues.
It should be noted that the truss end link assembly scheme was not dropped from FETA’s capital programmes. From 2011, FETA worked to re-evaluate the problem and develop a more proportionate, cost-effective solution to improve the bracket weld strengths. That construction project commenced in May 2015, with an estimated cost of £430,000.
We believe that the defect was unforeseen. As always in managing and maintaining our assets, we will take the opportunity to learn lessons from the incident in an effort to continuously improve. The incident has highlighted how important the crossing is to Scotland’s economy and its people.
The decision to close the bridge set unprecedented challenges for strategic traffic in the east of Scotland and for people living in the local communities. We remain grateful for their patience and the support that was demonstrated, as well as for the on-going patience of the freight industry.
In closing, I would like to reassure the committee that we have exerted every effort to reopen the bridge as quickly as possible and to mitigate the impacts of restriction. Every effort is being made to fully reopen the bridge to heavy goods vehicles. Strengthening work to the affected north-east section is on programme and, subject to favourable weather and no further defects being found, we will be in a position to reopen the bridge to HGVs by mid-February.