Forth Road Bridge

Spanning the Estuary of the River Forth in Scotland, the Forth Bridge represents the pinnacle of 19th century iron and steel bridge construction. A world wonder of its age, this Victorian engineering marvel that was made possible by new steel production processes, is arguably the world's greatest and most famous cantilever bridge

A truly monumental structure, the 54,000 tons of Siemens-Martin open-hearth steel, whose main compression struts of rolled steel plate are riveted into 12ft (4m) diameter tubes, spans some 1710ft (521m) to link the counties of Fife and Edinburgh.

When opened in 1890, the Bridge was the greatest example of its type. It holds the record for the world's longest cantilever bridge, although the Quebec Bridge exceeded the record for a single cantilever span in 1917. Still operating today as an important passenger and freight rail bridge, the Bridge's distinctive, iconic profile is recognised the world over and internationally regarded as not only one of the world's first and greatest iron and steel bridges, but also as the world's most famous cantilever.

No steel cantilever bridge has ever matched the perfect balance of structural elegance and quality of design represented by this bridge.