Forth Estuary Transport Authority facts for kids

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) was an organization in charge of looking after the famous Forth Road Bridge in eastern central Scotland. This bridge crosses the Firth of Forth, which is like a long arm of the sea. FETA was created in 2001 by a special law called the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001. It took over from an older group called the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board.

What FETA Did

FETA was formed in 2001. It had a bigger job than the group it replaced. FETA could help pay for better roads and public transport to make it easier to cross the Firth of Forth. Its new powers also allowed it to look at other ways to cross, not just the Forth Road Bridge. For example, they could explore using the Firth of Forth itself for hovercraft services between Fife and Lothian.

How FETA Was Set Up

The FETA board had ten members. These members came from different local councils:

• Four members were from the City of Edinburgh.
• Four members were from Fife Council.
• One member was from the Perth and Kinross Council.
• One member was from West Lothian Council.

Important Work FETA Did

Between 2003 and 2005, the Forth Road Bridge had a big check-up. This happened because other suspension bridges in the United States, which were similar in design and age, were found to have rust in their main cables. The check-up showed that the Forth Bridge's cables also had a lot of rust. This rust made the cables weaker by about 8 to 10%.

Because of the rust, the bridge would have needed to close to large trucks around 2014. Then, it would have closed to all traffic by 2019. So, plans were made to build a new bridge next to the old one. This new bridge would connect Lothian and Fife. Special equipment was put in place to remove moisture from inside the main cables. This was to try and stop the rust from getting worse. Even though it wasn't guaranteed to work, FETA and the Scottish Government had to plan for a new bridge.

The work to remove moisture from the Forth Road Bridge's cables was successful! It stopped the rust. This means the old Forth Road Bridge no longer needs to close to traffic. Now, the Forth Road Bridge will work alongside the new bridge, called the Queensferry Crossing. The old bridge will be used mainly for public transport. It will also be a backup route if the new bridge ever needs to close.

What Happened to FETA?

The Scottish Government looked for a company to take over the job of running and looking after the Forth Road Bridge and the new Queensferry Crossing. The rail bridge, however, stayed under the control of Network Rail. The company chosen for the job was Amey plc. They started their maintenance work in 2015.

The new company, called the Forth Bridges Operating Company, took on the staff who used to work for FETA. This happened under special rules that protect employees when a business changes hands. The Forth Bridges Operating Company is now responsible for maintaining the Forth Road Bridge, the Queensferry Crossing, and the roads leading to them. This includes the M90 motorway from Junction 3 in Halbeath to Junction 1A in Kirkliston.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority officially stopped operating on May 31, 2015.