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Queen Officially Opens Queensferry Crossing – an amazing view of bridges 

The Queen has cut the ribbon to officially open Scotland’s “breathtaking” new bridge.  She was accompanied by Prince Philip as the ceremony took place on the £1.35bn road bridge.  It is exactly 53 years after she opened the Forth Road Bridge.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said visitors from around the world would come to admire “the ingenuity and beauty” of the trio of bridges spanning the Firth of Forth.

The Queen met children and officials at the south end of the bridge. She was given a floral posy by Elizabeth Martin, grand-daughter of crossing project director Michael Martin.

A huge crowd including hundreds of schoolchildren watched as the Red Arrows performed a fly-past over the magnificent structure.

After cutting the ribbon to cheers from the watching crowd, the Queen travelled by car across the bridge.  Her Majesty then made a speech and unveiled a plaque to declare the crossing formally open.

The bridge was blessed by the Church of Scotland’s Moderator, The Right Rev Dr Derek Browning.

The Queen said the bridge would be an “important link” between the Lothians and Fife.  It sits beside the Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Rail Bridge,

The crossing is essentially an extension of the M90 motorway across the Forth. There is  a 70mph speed limit, although operators said an initial 40mph limit would be in place to take account of “driver distraction”.

The new bridge will take most of the traffic that currently uses the 53-year-old Forth Road Bridge.

The old one will remain open for cyclists, pedestrians and buses. video BBC Scotland

There has been tremendous excitement about the new crossing.

Watch again as #TheQueen opens #QueensferryCrossing https://t.co/lJrW7Ae0kT crowd thrilled #Scotland pic.twitter.com/ciCZI4dMO1

— YourNewsUKtv (@YourNewsUKtv) September 4, 2017