And it is not surprising.  Here are some little advertised facts

After the Forth Bridge was built in 1964, the same company who designed it
then designed the Severn Bridge and were encouraged to save costs (about a
third) by cutting down on the over-design factors of safety, built into the
Forth Bridge.

Within 10 years the Severn Bridge was showing excessive signs of wear and
tear to the extent that the 2 lanes each way were limited to 1 lane each
way.

And this was the main reason why the second Severn bridge was built about 15
years ago.

Speug, 5 May 05

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Road bridge faces closure in 20 years - Edinburgh Evening News 4 May 05

ALAN RODEN

THE Forth Road Bridge faces closure in as little as ten years because of
damage caused by the thousands of vehicles crossing it every day.
Inspectors have found "irreversible corrosion" inside the bridge's main
cables and the huge volume of traffic is taking its toll.

The bridge manager today said wear and tear means it is likely to have to
shut in around 20 years.

And a source at the Forth Estuary Transport Authority said it could even
close in ten years.

The bridge operators said the condition of the existing bridge showed why a
second road bridge was needed as soon as possible.

Each day, the 40-year-old bridge carries more than double the traffic it was
designed for, cutting its 120-year life expectancy by more than half.

A full report on the two four-mile main cables will be finished next year
and if the corrosion is too severe, or too many inside wires are broken, the
crossing could be condemned by 2015.

Bridge manager Alastair Andrew said: "Until we have the results of the full
inspection we really don't know how bad it is, but the bridge is not going
to last.

"We already know there is a lot of damage inside the cables, and we don't
think we can replace them. The inspection report is due around this time
next year, and I expect we may discover that the bridge won't last much
longer.

"The Forth Road Bridge was never designed for the loads it is carrying -
more than 5600 tons of traffic drives over it a day, but it was only built
to carry 2800 tons."

Mr Andrew estimated that the bridge was likely to be unfit for use within
around 20 years. He added: "We have never opened the cables before, and the
work involves removing an outer wrapping wire and protective lead paste.

"From initial samples we know there is irreversible corrosion inside there
because of the stress the cables are put under. This has reduced the life
expectancy of the bridge. It should have lasted 120 years, or longer like
the Forth Bridge has, but there are sections where the road bridge is really
over-stressed."

If the bridge closed, it would have to be effectively rebuilt before it
could reopen.

The warning comes just days after the FETA board voted to speed up plans for
a new crossing over the Forth, amid unprecedented levels of congestion in
the area.

But it will take at least 11 years before any new bridge would open, and it
was expected the "multi-modal" crossing - carrying trams and buses - would
be supplementary to the existing bridge.

The number of vehicles using the existing crossing has soared from four
million a year when it first opened in 1964 to more than 24 million now -
increasing by around 3.5 per cent each year.

And every weekday, the bridge exceeds its congestion limit of 30,000
vehicles a day in each direction.

FETA chairman and Fife councillor Mike Rumney said: "No other bridge in the
world, which is as old as this one, is under as much stress."

Another FETA insider said: "We have got to look forward and be realistic.
This bridge is under more stress than it was ever designed for, and it isn't
going to last.

"We don't know what the results of this cable inspection programme will be,
and we have to prepare for all possibilities - that includes the bridge
being closed in ten years, before a new one is built."

Last October, engineers found broken wires and varying levels of corrosion
inside three samples of the bridge cables, which consist of more than 11,600
steel wires, each half a centimetre thick.

The new tests are monitoring the entire length of the cables using acoustic
equipment as well as visual inspections.

Jim Philp, Labour councillor for North Queensferry, said the Scottish
Executive - which is against the plans for a new crossing - has to "drive
into the 21st century".

"Soon, we will have to take some very serious decisions and one of those
could be that the bridge has to be closed completely," he said.

"The bridge is under a lot of stress, and this cable inspection could easily
result in permanent lane closures.

"That is why the Scottish Executive can't reject FETA's strategy."

Councillor Rumney added: "We are entering unchartered waters - traffic is
increasing and it will continue to increase.

"We have to realise that the Forth Road Bridge is a 40-year-old structure
and a huge amount of maintenance is required.

"There will be lane and carriageway closures every summer from now on."

The new crossing approved by FETA at a stormy meeting last week would not be
operational until 2016 at the earliest.

But all of the Edinburgh councillors present, including transport chief
Andrew Burns, called for better public transport facilities to be provided
before a new bridge is built.

Councillor Burns today declined to comment on the life expectancy of the
existing crossing. But he said: "We didn't vote against a new bridge, we
always said it might be necessary one day."

THE FACTS

THE Forth Road Bridge was built 40 years ago as a much-needed link between
the Capital and Fife.

When the Queen opened the bridge in 1964, it was the largest of its kind in
Europe, and carried four million drivers across the Forth each day.

From the top of the towers to the surface of the water 512ft below, and
across the sweep of the 3300ft central span, some 39,000 tons of steel and
115,000 cubic metres of concrete were used, at a cost of 19.5 million - and
seven lives.

More than 55 million vehicles have crossed the bridge since then, from four
million in 1964 to around 24 million this year.

This traffic growth has slashed the life expectancy of the bridge from at
least 120 years to around 60 - or less.

The number of maintenance projects has steadily increased, causing misery
for drivers who now regularly face huge delays.

Last year, resurfacing work on the southbound carriageway resulted in
contraflows and lane closures, which will be repeated on the northbound side
in just a few years.

And following the first sample test of the main cables in 2004, a full
inspection began last month - meaning roadworks on evenings and weekends.
The work continues until June, then starts again in September.

It also emerged last month that sections of the bridge face closure after
independent consultants raised safety concerns about the strength of the
roadside barriers.

With the bridge exceeding its congestion limit of 30,000 vehicles a day each
way, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority has warned of "never-ending"
maintenance programmes in coming years.

This led to calls for a new crossing, which moved a step closer last week
when local councillors voted to push ahead with a new bridge.

But FETA faces a huge uphill struggle to convince the Scottish Executive and
environmentalists that this won't just increase congesti