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Access RestrictionsThe Forth Road Bridge 60th Anniversary
Sharing 60 Years in 60 MomentsJoin the celebrations to mark the official 60th anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge.
Let's Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge!
Opened by HRH Queen Elizabeth on 4 September 1964, the Forth Road Bridge is 2.5km long and one of the world’s most significant long-span suspension bridges.
With the growing popularity of the motor car, the need for a road bridge was first identified in the 1920s. Plans were put on hold until 1947 due to The Great Depression and Second World War.
Construction, which finally began in 1958, saw Britain’s largest three construction firms collaborating under the banner of ACD Bridge Company Ltd. The consortium included Sir William Arrol, who had been responsible for the construction of the Forth Bridge 80 years earlier. A special training school had to be set up in Queensferry to teach contractors how to spin the main cables which were made not far away by Bruntons of Musselburgh.
Nowadays, a walk or cycle across the bridge takes in epic views as part of the popular Forth Bridges Trail.
In September, we'll be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge and there are lots of ways you can get involved from helping us build a digital archive to taking a vintage bus ride across the bridge.
We look forward to celebrating with you!
Discover more about the Forth Road Bridge >
Highlights
60th Celebrations
The Forth Road Bridge at 60
Programme of EventsPitreavie AAC 10K
18 AugustThe Pitreavie AAC The Forth Road Bridge 10K Road Races will take place at 10:30am on Sunday 18th August 2024 from North Queensferry Community Centre. Watch the runners and cheer them on!
Community Celebration
4 SeptemberThere is a private education event in the morning with local school children to celebrate the bridge’s links with the community.
At lunchtime, members of community groups and clubs are going to meet in the middle of the Forth Road Bridge walkway to celebrate 60 years of being joined together by the road bridge.
Tower Top Trips
4 SeptemberCompetitions run by the local press (Dunfermline Press and Scotsman) to win tower top trips.
Please note that these are separate to the trips to anchorage tower offered as part of the minibus tours. The press competitions are now closed and winners will be notified shortly.
Exhibition
4 & 7 SeptemberThere will be public exhibition on the history of the Forth Road Bridge. The exhibition is open to all and free to attend. Location: Transport Scotland Contact & Education Centre, Ferrymuir Gait, South Queensferry, EH30 9SF.
On the 4th, the exhibition will be open in the afternoon between 2pm and 5pm. Past Forth Road Bridge team members are invited to meet at 3pm for an informal gathering to share memories of their time working on the bridge.
On the 7th, the exhibition will be open all day between 10am and 4pm. There will also be family activities including a self-guided scavenger hunt for walks on the Forth Road Bridge (weather permitting).
Civil Engineering Presentations
4 SeptemberEvening Event
The iconic crossing opened to traffic on 4th September 1964 and was, at the time, the longest suspension bridge in the world outside the USA.
As part of a series of events to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge, an evening of presentations will be delivered on 4th September 2024 to provide a history and background on the construction and maintenance of the crossing, recent maintenance and development works and its future use as a public transport corridor and alternative crossing.
The event will be viewable online for those unable to attend in person.
There will be tea and coffee from 18:00 with the presentation beginning at 18:30.
Vintage Bus Trips
7 SeptemberThe Scottish Vintage Bus Museum is offering free trips across the Forth Road Bridge between Ferry Toll Park and Ride (Inverkeithing) and the Ferrymuir Gait carpark (South Queensferry). Follow the link below for details of how to take part and book a ticket.
Doors Open Day
28 SeptemberTransport Scotland’s Contact and Education Centre will be open to the public from 9am until 5pm, featuring special exhibits and educational activities. Advance booking is not necessary for the exhibition, or to take a walk across the bridge.
Everyone who attends the Doors Open Day exhibition (or minibus tours for which the ballot is now closed) on 28 September will have the chance to enter a charity prize draw for a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to the top of the Queensferry Crossing’s main towers.
Please note: the public ballot for minibus tours of Anchorage Chamber is now closed.
Supernova Forth Road Bridge
2 NovemberThe iconic Forth Road Bridge will be completely closed for participants to walk, jog or run 5K. Entries are now closed by you can still attend to watch and cheer the runners and walkers on.
Build a Digital Archive
OngoingHundreds of commemorative items were produced to celebrate the opening of the Forth Road Bridge.
Biscuit tins, stamps and commemorative coins were just some of the items collected.
We'd love to curate a collection 60 artefacts (artefacts and vintage photos of the bridge) that we can document and share as part of the celebrations.
Please share any items or vintage photos with us on Facebook by tagging @theforthbridges and using #ForthRoadBridge60.
We'll share the items and curate a digital collection that can be archived for future generations to enjoy.
Celebrate 60 Years of the Forth Road Bridge in 60 Moments
Win Tickets to Hopetoun!Submit a 60 second video or write 60 words about a special moment you have experienced at the Forth Road Bridge.
You may have crossed the bridge on way to a special life event, or sailed under it for a special occasion. Or perhaps you worked on building the iconic structure before it opened in 1964?
Or do you have plans to visit in the future? Then share why you can't wait to see the bridge alongside the Forth Bridge and Queensferry Crossing. We'd love to hear why you want to see the magnificent bridges and who you plan to visit with.
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED.
How to Enter
Please submit your moments via the electronic form.
Enter by 11.59pm on 31 August 2024.
A winner will be chosen by the Forth Bridges Tourism Group as part of a prize draw. Terms and conditions apply.
The lucky winner will be notified by 2 September 2024, and, once accepted, will be announced on this web page and on social media.
The Prize
A family day ticket (2 adults & 2 kids) to Hopetoun House and Gardens, plus lunch to the value of £60 in the Stables. Hopetoun House is one of Scotland's finest stately homes and you can enjoy amazing rooftop views of the Forth Bridges.
If you submit a 60 second video or 60 words, you will automatically be entered into our Prize Draw to win tickets to Hopetoun House (see details below).
Experience The Forth Road Bridge
One of the world's most signficant long-span suspension bridges.The Forth Road Bridge is open to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
Come and make the crossing of the iconic Forth Road Bridge to mark its 60th Anniversary this year.
Start at either South or North Queensferry and cross to the other side as part of a leisurely walk or exciting cycle as you stop to take in the views surrounding you. Or sit back and enjoy a bus ride.
You'll get fantastic views across the Firth of Forth to the Trossachs and Rosyth Shipyard, and, on on good days, you can see as far as Berwick Law.
The bridge is now restricted to pedestrians and public transport, so it's a fairly peaceful crossing with an an occasional gentle sway!
Along the way, you'll see some information signs which form part of the Forth Bridges Trail - a circular 5 mile route which provides an excellent way to explore the bridges and the local area.
Vital Statistics
- Total Length: 1 1/2 miles (2.5km)
- Known as the "Guid Passage" since 1964
- Officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen on September 4, 1964
- Nearly 40,000 tonnes of steel and 125,000 cubic metres of concrete went into the bridge's construction
From the Archives
PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE | CONSTRUCTION OF THE FORTH ROAD BRIDGE
A collection of black and white photographs documenting the construction of the forth bridges.
BBC DOCUMENTARY CLIP | UNRIVALLED ACCESS DURING THE BRIDGE'S CONSTRUCTION (FROM THE FORTH ROAD BRIDGE AT 50 SERIES)
Jim Hendry was a farm inspector and local cine film-making enthusiast when he started shooting bridge construction in 1958. With unrivalled access to bridge workers over a six year period his 16mm film footage represents a lasting legacy of one of Scotland’s most important construction projects.
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