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Introduction

The Open University — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:56:30 GMT

This unit focuses on the Forth Road Bridge that connects Edinburgh with Fife. This suspension bridge continues to face a number of problems regarding its deteriorating condition. The short video included in this unit illustrates some of the major structural issues facing bridges and examines some of the proposed changes to the use of the Forth Road Bridge to help increase its lifespan.

This unit is from our archive and it is an adapted extract from Engineering and Technology . If you wish to study formally at The Open University, you may wish to explore the courses we offer in this curriculum area.

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Learning outcomes

The Open University — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:56:30 GMT

After studying this unit, you should be able to:

understand the basic structural issues of the Forth Road Bridge;
give examples of how engineers are trying to alleviate the wear and tear on the bridge.

Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see terms and conditions), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Licence

1 The Forth Road Bridge

The Open University — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:56:30 GMT

Edinburgh reaches over the Firth of Forth with two great bridges – the photogenic Victorian Forth Rail Bridge and the slender 1960s Forth Road Bridge. The latter suspends the road from cables, but it is being threatened by rust. Water has found its way inside the cables, causing them to rust and weaken. It is predicted that in 2014 they may have to stop heavy goods vehicles using it and possibly close it altogether in 2019.

The following video, an extract from BBC's Coast Series 3, examines many of the issues facing the Forth Road Bridge.

Activity

0 hours 30 minutes

The deteriorating condition of the Forth Road Bridge has led to the Scottish Government recommending the development of a new cable-stayed bridge to the west of the existing Forth Road Bridge. There is some opposition to the construction of a second crossing rather than a replacement bridge because it is felt that this will lead to an increase in road traffic.

Watch the video extract from Coast, linked below, and consider:

the risks associated with an increase in road traffic (for example pollution and congestion on arterial routes);
the effect on local communities of building a new bridge;
what measures could be taken to reduce road traffic over the Forth, for example, investment in public transport alternatives and reducing the number of single occupancy cars and HGVs.

You may wish to share these thoughts with fellow learners by posting your ideas on the discussion forum associated with this OpenLearn Scotland unit.

Click to view the video extract (8 minutes).

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2 Conclusion

The Open University — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:56:30 GMT

The Forth Road Bridge, connecting Edinburgh with Fife, continues to face a number of problems regarding its deteriorating condition. Both structural issues and the increasing wear and tear of the traffic upon the bridge are causes of concern for the engineers who maintain it.

Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see terms and conditions), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Licence

Next steps

The Open University — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:56:30 GMT

After completing this unit you may wish to study another OpenLearn Study Unit or find out more about this topic. Here are some suggestions:

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Acknowledgements

The Open University — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:56:30 GMT

The content acknowledged below is Proprietary (see terms and conditions) and is used under licenc.

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit:

Video Materials

Unit image

Peter Schofield flickr.com [Details correct as of 11th June 2008]

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