By Tony Miles THE £10 million Network Rail-led project to create a new tourist attraction based on Scotland’s iconic Forth Bridge has been‘put on hold’ following a re-evaluation of the project due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Forth Bridge Experience was to include a visitor hub and bridge walk at the UNESCO World Heritage site, with a lengthy planning process and redesign of initial plans having finally been granted permission by the City of Edinburgh Council in March 2020.
A tender process to appoint a contractor to design and build the Walkway Experience – which would have seen groups of up to 15 people in safety harnesses being led onto the bridge’s south cantilever and to a 367ft high viewing point on walkways built into the structure – was launched in 2020, with Network Rail reporting last autumn that it had drawn up a final shortlist of bidders.
Described as “a unique Scottish tourist attraction”, the experience was expected to be similar to the world-renowned Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk, with between three and four groups an hour being allowed onto the bridge and attracting around 85,000 visitors a year.