The Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) said that engineers will examine ways in which the work could be safely delayed until the new crossing opens. This would allow the replacement to be carried out at a significantly reduced cost.
"It may be feasible to design temporary measures that will allow traffic to continue to safely use the current joints until 2016," said FETA chief engineer and bridgemaster Barry Colford. "The joints would then be replaced when the new bridge opened, removing the need to spend £6 million [US$9 million] on mini-bridges to keep the traffic flowing."
He said that the joints have reached the end of their service life and do need to be replaced. "However, contractors' bids have come in considerably higher than estimated and we now have a firm timetable for construction of the new bridge."
The options will be reviewed immediately with a view to making a decision early in the new year.
