Forth Bridge walkway plans that are to cost £24m and a visitor centre at the iconic Forth Bridge have gained momentum. Network Rail has presented amended proposals to the City of Edinburgh Council for installing a visitor hub, bridge walk and an observation deck. The new plans relate mostly to the South Queensferry end visitor centre with the bridge walkways and main pier observation deck related to the earlier consented project.
After the grant of agreement two years ago, Network Rail started a tendering procedure to appoint a main contractor who would design and construct the new Forth Bridge Walkway Experience. On winding up on that procedure, and following boundless discussions with Transport Scotland, they came to a conclusion that the project would be put on hold for further development work since it was going to worth more than projected. The development was later delayed further after Covid struck.
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The revised Forth Bridge walkway plan.
The new plan shows that the visitor hub, resembling a twin barn structure, has been scaled and moved back to a single-storey reception centre to Forth Bridge’s east side, set in the landscape and offering stunning panorama of the iconic heritage development while minimising the effect on the environment surrounding.
A number of between 12 and 15 people will put on safety harnesses before being directed out to the south cantilever of the bridge, moving up to a viewing area at the top using walkways constructed into the structure. Alan Ross, the director of engineering and asset management at Network Rail Scotland stated: “We have toiled over the past year to create a revised proposal, making them much affordable and more sympathetic to the surrounding area without compromising the scheme’s appeal. The plans we have presented to develop a bridge walk experience will offer the public a distinctive chance to tour this world’s iconic structure and create more exciting tourist destinations for Scotland.”
