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The Forth Road Bridge viewed from the north side with the commemorative plaque to mark its royal opening |
1964: Forth Road Bridge opened
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Artificially 1969: FilmTheTheAA The Queen has officially opened Europe's longest suspension bridge linking Edinburgh to Perth across the River Forth.
Tens of thousands of spectators turned up to watch the royal cavalcade slowly cross the 3,300ft (1,005m) central span of the bridge.
Soldiers of Lowland regiments from the south linked up symbolically with a Highland brigade from the north to mark the opening of the new crossing, which cuts more than an hour off the journey-time by road.
The Forth Road Bridge is currently the fourth longest in the world - but it will be succeeded by the Tagus in Portugal which will be 23ft (7m) longer when it opens in 1967.
Twenty-five Royal Navy ships fired a salute of guns and after a brief opening speech from the Queen there was also a fly-past.
The new bridge sits beside the old cantilever rail bridge, opened in 1890 by the then Prince of Wales.
Afterwards the Queen returned across the Forth by ferry, marking the final trip in the 800-year-old service.
At its peak, the service was running 40,000 trips a year, carrying 1.5m people.
The four ferryboats have been run by 70 men only 30 of whom will be re-employed on the new bridge collecting tolls.
Up to 400 men have worked on the bridge sometimes in very dangerous conditions with winds up to 100mph. Three men lost their lives - others were saved by the terylene safety nets suspended beneath them.
It took 39,000 tons of steel, 30,800 miles of wire in the suspension cables, and is 163ft above the river at its highest point.
The bridge will eventually be silver-grey in colour, but work on its final coat was suspended for the opening ceremony.
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