Scotland’s replacement for the Forth Road Bridge is to be named the ‘Queensferry Crossing’ it was announced today.

The name secured more than a third of the votes in a public ballot, ahead of Caledonia Bridge (31%), St Margaret’s Crossing (21%), Firth of Forth Crossing (6%) and Saltire Crossing (6%). Over 37,000 votes were cast.

First Minister Alex Salmond described the crossing near Edinburgh as a “bridge to the future”. Construction of the bridge is due for completion by the end of 2016 at a cost of around £1.5Bn.

“The Forth replacement crossing is the country’s biggest and most significant transport infrastructure project for decades and I’m delighted that the naming process has enabled so many thousands of people to get involved and feel a sense of ownership for a bridge that will serve Scotland and its economy for many years to come,” he said.

“The public’s choice of the name ‘Queensferry Crossing’ reflects the area’s rich history and the continuing link between the two communities on the estuary’s north and south banks.”

The new crossing will be a cable stayed bridge upstream of the existing Forth Road Bridge. It will cover a total length of 2.7km and feature two main spans of 650m each.  

Development of a replacement crossing is required after suspension cables on the existing Forth Road Bridge were found to have suffered corrosion.

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Photo: Scottish Government