Engineering specialist hired for trio of landmark projects

Hull-based firm Spencer Bridge Engineering, has been appointed to deliver essential works on three of Scotland’s most iconic bridges.

The company was chosen to carry out works on Kessock Bridge, Forth Road Bridge and Tay Road Bridge during 2025 and 2026.

After previously completing works on Kessock Bridge in 2018, Spencer Bridge Engineering has been hired to carry out steelwork modifications on the pylons on the bridge to pave the way for an integrated rescue system. 

These modifications to the bridge, which crosses the Beauly Firth at Inverness, will allow improved access through the towers and a rescue system that will significantly improve safety for workers, by providing a quick and effective method of rescue in the event of an emergency.

In a separate commission, the company will carry out works on the Forth Road Bridge. Spanning the Firth of Forth, connecting Edinburgh to Fife, the 2,500m crossing was the longest suspension bridge in the world outside of the United States at the time of its construction.

Spencer Bridge Engineering’s team will carry out complex replacement of the lateral thrust bearings, which are from the original construction in the early 1960s and are now at the end of their serviceable life.

Completing the hat-trick of Scottish projects, Spencer Bridge Engineering will replace two underdeck gantries on Tay Road Bridge which connects Dundee to Newport-on-Tay. 

The project team will replace the two existing gantries, which have been in position on the bridge since the 1980s, enabling future maintenance works on the bridge to be carried out more efficiently. 

Glen Smithson, operations director, said: “Having the ability to provide turnkey solutions, delivering both the design and installation works, enables us to have tight control of each element of the project and ensure we are delivering the highest quality works in the most efficient way.

“Our ethos of having strong collaboration with our clients ensures our projects are more closely tailored to each client’s individual needs and specifications. 

“Our teams are adept at working in remote, exposed locations, with difficult logistics, which is another factor which makes us so well equipped to work on so many Scottish infrastructure projects.”