THE operators of the Forth road bridge agreed yesterday on plans to raise tolls to up to £4 and undertake a multimillion-pound project to help to save it from closure.

The move came after the Forth Estuary Transport Authority revealed that the bridge could be closed to traffic by 2019 if corrosion on its main cables was not tackled.

The authority will ask ministers to bring in a range of new tolling options. They include a £1 maintenance charge for car users, rising to as much as £4 during peak hours. A 50 per cent discount would also be applied to cars with more than one passenger crossing the 41-year-old bridge, which at present has a toll of £1. It could be two years before a new tolling regime is brought in.

The authority also agreed to call in advisers to carry out two engineering studies to address corrosion in the main bridge cables. The first, costing £1.2 million, will look into a system to dry out the cables by pumping air into them. The second, which will cost up to £1.5 million, will examine the case for replacing the cables.

The authority meeting, which brought together representatives from Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Kinross and West Lothian councils, also approved the removal of discount vouchers for regular users from May 2006.

The new electronic tolling system will use a tag on car windscreens to activate automatic barriers. Dedicated electronic tolling lanes will also be introduced during off-peak periods.

Lawrence Marshall, the authority chairman, said: “Our immediate concern is to make sure the bridge operates as safely and effectively as possible and for as long as possible. This is why we are addressing the cable corrosion as an immediate priority. By taking appropriate action now, we can still have the option of keeping the bridge operating safely for many years to come.”

Mr Marshall said that the new tolling proposals would address a need to tackle congestion and reduce delays. He said they took “a sensible and long-term view” to provide a better service for the 24 million vehicles that crossed the bridge each year.

He added: “Introducing electronic tolling shows how new technology can contribute to this improved service, providing a more efficient and cost- effective service for regular users.”

The authority has emphasised that the bridge is still safe to use. It is facing either having to wrap the cables in a neoprene sheath and pump in dry air at various points, or replace them. The latter option would, however, cause significant engineering difficulties. The authority has already decided to fit acoustic devices to monitor the condition of the cables.

Bruce Crawford, the SNP’s deputy transport spokesman and Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, said that the authority’s decision was a disappointing one. “The issue here is not one of tackling congestion, as for many people there is no real alternative than to use the Forth road bridge,” he said.

“No matter how many buses, trains or ferries they put on, most people will still have no option but to use the bridge to get to work and back. This is a cash-raising measure, not an attempt to tackle congestion.”

Mr Crawford called on Tavish Scott, Scotland’s Transport Minister, to make plans for a new Forth bridge a top priority. “Given that it will take more than a decade to plan and build a new bridge, the current timescale only leaves a very small window for the decision to be made on whether a replacement or new bridge should be built,” he said.

Jack McConnell, the First Minister, previously said it would “daft and stupid” to start planning for a new bridge before finding out the exact condition of the existing structure.

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