"The serious doubts surrounding the future resilience of the current crossing to general traffic are now well understood," said transport minister Stewart Stevenson. "The need for a new bridge has not diminished and progress has and will continue to be made. I am therefore delighted we are now in a position to not only set out the next steps for this vital economic lifeline for the East Coast but also, as our work becomes more detailed, identify how to deliver this project as efficiently as possible."

The Forth Road Bridge Authority welcomed the announcement that funding is in place for construction of the new crossing and that the project remains on target for completion by 2016.