Tam's Tall Tales
- And Finally...
An artist's impression of the new Queensferry Crossing (on the left) and the existing road and rail bridges
via Wikimedia Commons
But Not Seriously....
The Edinburgh Evening News was in good form with a story printed on 1 April about the new Forth Road Bridge, known as 'the Queensferry Crossing.'
It reported that efforts to save costs in building the Queensferry Crossing, the new bridge between Edinburgh and Fife had resulted in a critical flaw.
Engineers examining pre-fabricated steel beams imported from China discovered that the combined length of the metal shipped to Scotland is insufficient, meaning workers will fall agonisingly short of completing the bridge from shore to shore.
" Under the terms of the contract signed with its Chinese supplier, Transport Scotland cannot order additional materials without activating a penalty clause that could add millions to the cost of the project.
Scottish Government transport chiefs have therefore reluctantly decided to leave a 14-inch gap at the centre of the bridge, which they insist will be "completely safe".
The paper claimed that drivers will face a minimum speed limit of 30mph on the Queensferry Crossing, so that vehicles clear the gap safely.
The story is even more believable after the chaos of the project to create a new tramway system in Edinburgh where costs soared, completion targets were consistently missed and many traders along the route went out of business due to roadworks....
Please give me whatever feedback comes to mind via tamfromrampant@gmail.com.
Tam O'Ranter
April 2015Return to Tam O'Ranter Index
