Arup has been selected in a joint venture with Jacobs by Transport Scotland to design, develop and project-manage a new cable-stayed bridge crossing the river Forth in Scotland. This will be the largest infrastructure project in Scotland for a generation and is understood to represent the largest transport consultancy contract ever let in the country.
The new bridge will be located to the west of the existing Forth Road Bridge.
The joint venture team, which includes sub-consultants Flint & Neill Partnership, Dissing & Weitling, EC Harris, Dundas & Wilson and PwC, will provide a range of services including architecture and aesthetics, geotechnics, environment and landscaping, budgeting, and health and safety, together with specialist advice on statutory processes and project finance.
Arup brings to the project its experience from a number of high-profile previous bridges including the Øresund crossing that links Sweden and Denmark and Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong.
The core project team will be based in Transport Scotland’s Glasgow headquarters alongside the agency’s own major infrastructure project team. Arup’s Mike Glover will act as project manager while Naeem Hussain, also of Arup, takes on the role of main crossing manager for the bridge.
Ainslie McLaughlin, director of major transport infrastructure projects for Transport Scotland, said: "This joint venture brings together the industry’s leading players and renowned consultants with a proven track record in delivering world-class infrastructure projects.
"The strong core team complements Transport Scotland’s own expertise in project delivery and is backed by an extended pool of talented and experienced professionals whose skills in a variety of fields will be crucial to the delivery of the new Forth bridge. A modern, efficient transport network is vital to a thriving, prosperous economy and the new bridge will support commuters, businesses and protect the environment."
Brian Veitch, Director of Arup, says “We are very excited to be involved in what will be the first major new long-span bridge in the UK for around a decade. The commission is a major piece of work for the firm, involving provision of all the consultancy services needed to take this iconic project from its present stage through to delivery of the completed bridge in 2016. It builds on our earlier work in this field, and reinforces our position as one of the world’s leading long-span bridge designers.”
Work on the project will commence in February 2008.