• Iconic structure scaffold-free for the first time in over a decade as repair and repainting programme draws to a close
• £130m refurbishment project will mean no full-scale repainting for at least 20 years

Network Rail announced today (Friday, December 9) that its 10-year, £130m programme of refurbishment and repainting on the Forth Bridge had been completed. (see our story 5 September 2011)

With the scaffolding which has encased the bridge for over a decade now removed, the 125-year-old structure will not need a full paint job for at least 20 years.

The project, delivered by Network Rail and main contractor Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, involved encasing the bridge in up to 4,000 tonnes of scaffolding, painting over 230,000sqm of steel and all 6.5 million rivets in the structure.

Over the life of the project more than 1,500 people have worked on the structure, with up to 400 people a day on the bridge at the height of the refurbishment works.

David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, said: “The completion of this refurbishment will safeguard the future of one of the country’s most famous landmarks.

“Repainting the bridge has long been considered one of the world’s never-ending tasks, and the refurbishment programme we have just completed has been one of the biggest engineering challenges Network Rail has faced.

“Our staff and contractors can take real pride in their achievements on this project, not least in the fact that through their efforts this amazing structure will remain free of major maintenance work for at least two decades.”

Marshall Scott, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, added: “Balfour Beatty is immensely proud to have successfully delivered the programme to refurbish the Forth Bridge over the past decade.

“It is a testament to the skill and commitment of the project team, and the subcontractors and suppliers, involved in this significant and complex programme of works that the iconic Forth Bridge has been returned to its original condition.”

With the main refurbishment work completed, contractors will continue to work around the structure between now and spring 2012, decommissioning site compounds and restoring the public viewing area at the North Queensferry side of the bridge.

In the years ahead, a small team of specialists and engineers will continue to monitor and maintain the bridge, which is regularly exposed to extreme conditions due to its location above the Firth of Forth.

Forth Bridge facts

• Opened: 1890

• Length: 2,467 metres

• Main structure (portal to portal): 1,630 metres

• Height of Bridge: High water to top: 110 metres

• Foundation to top: 137 metres

• Weight of steel in bridge: 53,000 tonnes

• Number of rivets: 6.5 million

• Concrete and masonry in piers: 120,000 cubic yards faced with 2ft thick granite

• Operational information:

• Number of trains per day: 200

• Number of passengers per year: 3 million

Painting the bridge

• Painting area: 230,000 sq metres

• Volume of paint used: 240,000 litres

Lighting the bridge

• Total number of lights installed: 1,040 lights

• Length of cabling required: 35,000 – 40,000 metres

History

• 1873 Thomas Bouch’s first design for a suspension bridge across the Forth presented
• 1879 Bouch’s design for the Forth Bridge abandoned following Tay Bridge disaster
• 1882 Design submitted by John Fowler and Benjamin Baker approved
• 1883 Construction of Fowler and Baker’s cantilever structure began
• 1885 Last caisson launched
• 1886 Pier foundations completed
• 1887 Three towers completed
• 1889 Cantilevers completed
• 1890 Bridge formally opened by Prince of Wales on 4 March 1890
• 57 lives were lost during the construction of the Forth Bridge
• At the height of its construction, more than 4,000 men were employed
• The construction of the bridge resulted in an unbroken East Coast railway from London to Aberdeen

Contractors:

The main contractor is Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering based in Edinburgh and is undertaking the restoration works with four principal sub contractors – Pyeroy Ltd, specialists in blasting and coating; Harsco Infrastructure, specialists in access systems and encapsulation; RBG Ltd, specialists in steel repairs, and ThyssenKrupp Palmers Ltd who facilitate for all three activities.

Project details:

The painting process involved the erection of significant scaffold access systems to access the working areas and screening the area to be painted to prevent debris affecting or contaminating the surrounding environment.

Old paint was removed using an abrasive blasting preparation and the steel coated with an industrial protective coating system.

The paint used to coat the bridge is a specialist glass flake epoxy paint, similar to that used in the offshore oil industry and designed to last 25 years. It is, however, expected to last much longer.

W.J.Leigh of Bolton supplied the specialist paint and coating systems.

The project also involved repair and replacement of walkways including the installation of new walkways and catwalks to allow for access to the works and to assist in the future examination and maintenance of the bridge.

Steel repairs – replacement of small localised sections of steel where required.

The bridge’s architectural lighting system was refurbished

9 December 2011