QUEENSFERRY CROSSING TO BE OPENED BY THE QUEEN

The Queensferry Crossing will be officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday September 4. This follows a ‘soft’ opening to traffic which took place earlier this week. The events will mark the completion of a momentous journey which has involved 15,000 people and over 18 million hours of work.

Among the vast array of contractors working on the £1.35 billion project, were a dedicated team from Ainscough Crane Hire which was involved in the project from its very earliest stages.

For five years, Ainscough staff, principally from the Falkirk Depot, have provided lifting services to the main contractor, Forth Road Bridge Contractors (FCBC) on the Transport Scotland project.

To mark the opening, 50,000 people will walk across the 1.7 mile long bridge prior to its permanent traffic opening on Thursday September 7.

Ciaran McNamee, Ainscough’s Depot Manager at Falkirk said: “Now it is complete, we can all reflect on the enormity of the project and the remarkable addition the bridge makes to the skyline.

“It is an understatement to say that we are proud to have played a part in its construction. Scotland is world-famous for its engineering ingenuity and as this bridge demonstrates, we still have the skills, vision and capability here to achieve great things.”