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Queen Elizabeth Opens Scotland’s Third Forth Bridge

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth formally opened Scotland’s biggest infrastructure project in a generation – the third bridge across the River Forth – on Monday, exactly 53 … Continue reading Queen Elizabeth Opens Scotland’s Third Forth Bridge


Queen Elizabeth cutting ribbon at ceremonial opening of Queensferry crossing 

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth formally opened Scotland’s biggest infrastructure project in a generation – the third bridge across the River Forth – on Monday, exactly 53 years after she opened the second.

The 91-year-old monarch met workers and school children who had gathered on the new road bridge before cutting a blue ribbon to mark its opening, as a flotilla passed underneath and the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows display jets flew overhead.

The 1.35 billion-pound ($1.7 billion) Queensferry Crossing, the longest bridge of its type in the world at 1.7 miles (2.7 km), connects the capital Edinburgh to Scotland’s north.

The Queen described all three “magnificent structures” crossing the River Forth, built in three separate centuries, as “feats of modern engineering”.

Queen Elizabeth said, “In declaring open the southside of the Queensferry Crossing and then travelling along the bridge, I was reminded today’s ceremony takes places exactly 53 years since that memorable day when I opened its predecessor, the Forth Road Bridge, which has served Scotland so well during more than half a century.

“The three magnificent structures we see here, spanning three centuries, are all feats of modern engineering and a tribute to the talents, vision and the remarkable skills of those who designed and built them.

“The Queensferry Crossing joined its iconic and historic neighbours to create not only a breathtaking sight over the Firth of Forth but to provide an important link for so many in this community and the surrounding areas.”

Built with 35,000 tonnes of steel and 150,000 tonnes of concrete, the crossing reaches 210 metres (690 ft) above high tide, standing as tall as about 48 London buses stacked on top of each other. Barriers deflect the wind and shield vehicles from the huge gusts common on the Forth.

Reuters