Painting of the Forth Bridge about to end
The Forth Rail Bridge at night. Source: Eifion
For more than a century, the expression “painting the Forth Bridge” has been used to describe a never-ending drudgery.
The bridge, it has been said, was so long that by the time its maintenance crew was done painting its second half, it was time for them to begin painting the first half again.
But this is about to change.
The latest painting of the Forth Bridge, which began in 2002, is soon to end. And this time, it will be 25 to 40 years before the bridge will need repainting.
Engineering marvel
The £180m ($277m) project involves stripping the bridge to metal — the first time this was done in its history — then repainting it with a tough coating used on oil rigs.
The stripping of the layers of paint allows repairs to be made on the steel.
The coating is then applied to the bridge’s 5 acre (20,000 square metre) surface.
The work is done by Balfour Beatty under contract to Network Rail. The project was expected to be until 2012 but is getting finished a year ahead of schedule.
The Forth Bridge, opened in 1890, is an engineering marvel. At 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers), it is the longest cantilever bridge in the world for rail transport.
Plans have been put out to nominate it to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scotland.
It is also called the Forth Rail Bridge to distinguish it from the Forth Road Bridge.
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