The report is due to be considered by the council's transport committee next week. If approved it will support continued development of the new crossing, subject to it being part of an integrated approach that does not materially increase traffic pressures in Edinburgh. The council will also urge that a final decision should not be taken until 2011/12, when better information on the condition of the existing bridge will be available. Meanwhile, it states, a strategy based on the existing bridge remaining as the sole crossing should be developed.
Councillor Gordon Mackenzie said: "In principal, I am not against Transport Scotland's proposed bill and accept the need for a fully functional Forth crossing. However, it is clear that we do not have to award a contract for two years or more. During that period, we need to progress the design and procurement process for a new bridge but, in parallel, put in place the associated transport strategy that will be required to make the new bridge work better than the current one. We must also use this time to develop alternative methods of maintaining the existing bridge so that if, as we all hope, the dehumidification work is successful, and shows that the bridge has a significantly longer lifespan, we can deploy the £2 billion (US$3.3 billion) earmarked for the new crossing into other vital public transport projects around the country."
