The new Queensferry Crossing will open to traffic on August 30, ministers have announced.
It will then close a few days later to allow 50,000 people to take part in a "once-in-a-lifetime chance" to walk across the bridge before it becomes a motorway with no pedestrian access.
The £1.35 billion bridge across the Forth was due to open last December but its completion was delayed by adverse weather conditions.
Holyrood Economy Secretary Keith Brown met with workers from the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) project and veterans of the construction of the Forth Road Bridge at the Queensferry Crossing on Tuesday.
He said: "It is fitting to be able to make this announcement alongside some of those who built the Forth Road Bridge and those who are building the Queensferry Crossing.
"What is being achieved on the Forth today, like what was achieved 53 years ago, is a testament to the expertise and the endeavour of those who have designed and built these bridges.
"I am very pleased to be able to confirm the Queensferry Crossing will open on August 30.
"The bridge will be used by vehicles up to September 1 before closing to allow the public the chance to walk across it as part of the Queensferry Crossing Experience on September 2 and 3.
"This Queensferry Crossing Experience will allow for up to 50,000 people to have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk across the Queensferry Crossing before it becomes a motorway with no pedestrian access.
"In order to manage access to the bridge, there will be a ballot to decide who will have this unique opportunity to be one of the 50,000 people.
"I would encourage as many people as possible to enter and take part."
He added: "This marks the beginning of the end of a 10-year process for this project.
"Starting with the early Forth Crossing studies, the Act of Parliament, design, procurement, through to work beginning on site in August 2011.
"Excitement and anticipation will build in the months ahead as people prepare to walk and drive over this bridge for the first time."
The ballot opened at 9am on June 20 and closes at noon on July 5.
To enter the ballot, people should visit the Queensferry Crossing Experience website at www.queensferrycrossingexperience.com
Michael Martin, project director for the consortium building the Queensferry Crossing, Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC), said: "The Queensferry Crossing is one of the world's great bridges.
"It's the largest bridge of its type and its fast-track design and construction has presented many challenges.
"The safety of our workforce, who have worked relentlessly through the hostile weather conditions in the Forth estuary to deliver the earliest completion of this project, has always been our number-one priority and it will continue to be so as we move towards the completion of the project."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel