An “iconic” bridge has marked 60 years since it was opened to traffic with a number of celebrations involving communities on both sides of the water.
The Forth Road Bridge across the Firth of Forth connects North Queensferry in Fife with South Queensferry on the outskirts of Edinburgh and opened to traffic for the first time on September 4 1964.
Built with almost 40,000 tonnes of steel, 125,000 cubic metres of concrete and 30,000 miles of high-tensile steel wires, it was the first bridge of its kind in the UK and the longest outside the USA at the time, at 2,512 metres, or 8,241 ft.
The bridge’s construction cost £19.5 million, according to Transport Scotland.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop met with local schoolchildren to cut a cake made for the celebrations, and community representatives from both Queensferry towns are rowing under the bridge to mark the 60th anniversary.
READ MORE: Remember when .... The Forth Road Bridge, taking shape in 1961
An exhibition showcasing the bridge’s history is also open to former workers and members of the public.
The celebrations continue this weekend, with vintage buses from Dunfermline Transport Museum offering free trips across the bridge on Saturday.
Ms Hyslop said: “It has been fantastic to be part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge alongside the members of the communities on both sides of the Forth.
“This iconic crossing has long been part of local landscape and it’s great to see so many people helping to mark its six decades of service to the travelling public.
“The celebrations continue this weekend with the vintage bus event, and I am sure it will be another fitting way to mark the occasion.
“The Forth Road Bridge clearly plays a different role now than it did 60 years ago, but there is no doubt that it still has an important job as a public transport corridor as well as providing important resilience to the trunk road network. I look forward to it continuing these roles for years to come.”
The Forth Road Bridge was supplanted in its role as a main route by the newly opened Queensferry Crossing in 2017. It now acts as a public transport corridor, carrying mostly buses.
David Bishop, south east unit bridges manager for operating company Bear Scotland, added: “We’re delighted to be celebrating 60 years of the Forth Road Bridge.
“This is still one of the world’s most significant, long span, suspension bridges and it’s an honour for us as engineers to be responsible for maintaining it.
“The bridge has worked hard over the years, connecting communities in Fife and Lothian while carrying a significantly greater weight and volume of traffic than it was originally designed for.
“We look forward to ensuring it continues to provide good service for decades to come.”
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