THE Queensferry Crossing has been delayed by up to eight months with a new date for the opening scheduled between mid-July to the end of August, economy secretary Keith Brown told MSPs.

But Mr Brown has told Holyrood's Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) Committee that he could not provide guarantees it would not be subject to further hold-ups due to weather conditions.

He said the planned May date was "not now safely achievable", due to difficulties in dismantling the tower cranes due to weather conditions.

The latest dates will see the bridge open with a delay of four weeks from the previously revised dates at the earliest.

Mr Brown told the committee 1500 people were currently employed on the bridge, and with a fatality on the site last year safety was paramount.

But he said it would be delivered £250million under budget, with a final costs around £1.35billion, and within the original projected timescales.

The cost of the over-run would be paid by contractors, with no extra cost to taxpayers.

Strong winds have been blamed for the failure to complete Scotland's biggest transport infrastructure project in a generation by its latest deadline.

Mr Brown has already been forced to tell MSPs that the scheduled date for completion had been pushed back for a second time due to "adverse weather conditions".

Engineers had originally hoped to open the structure, which is replacing the Forth Road Bridge for cars and trucks, last December but that timescale slipped due to poor weather affecting construction.

Mr Brown said: "To put that into context, that's around four to 10-week delay on a six-year construction programme.

"The precise opening date will depend on the amount of weather downtime which occurs in the coming weeks, with the latest date being based on weather similar to that which we have seen in February and March."

He said the impact of bad weather, particularly high winds, had caused slippage in the programme and a review found the project could now not be completed by the revised May date even if there were no weather cancellations.

He said the delays caused weather-dependent work to "bunch together" and become interdependent instead of sequential.
The Queensferry Crossing will replace the Forth Road Bridge.

Mr Brown added: "What we have in the dates provided to us and which have been analysed is a degree of certainty but we cannot be absolutely certain."

Citing weather uncertainty he said he could not give "100 per cent guarantees of the dates, adding: "That is the likely date. That is the range and that's the reason we cannot give specific dates."

The bridge is the longest of its kind in the world with the highest towers in Britain but the project has also brought controversy and an independent investigation into pay and conditions for the 1,300 workers had to be launched in the final stages of its construction.

Other setbacks including having to call in the bomb squad after suspected explosives were found by workers also brought delays.

When the Queensferry Crossing opens, the Forth Road Bridge will be retained as a dedicated public transport corridor and will also provide a largely traffic-free environment for cyclists and walkers across the Forth.