Queensferry Crossing opens to traffic – and traffic jams

Scotland's £1.35bn Queensferry Crossing bridge opened to vehicles for the first time today to a celebratory honking of horns, a lorry breakdown and a rush-hour traffic jam.

Nothing could contain the excitement, however, as motorists jockeyed for position at 2am to be among the first to cross Britain's tallest bridge. Scottish minister Keith Brown was at the head of the queue, declaring the Queensferry Crossing "fantastic". The Scotsman called it an "engineering marvel" and a "smooth ride".

By 7am, a lorry driver achieved a milestone of his own, becoming the first to break down on the bridge. Traffic jams in both directions followed, along with Scottish humour, the Daily Record reports. One driver suggested that the heavy goods vehicle driver was an "attention seeker".

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The 1.7-mile crossing which links the Lothians and Fife has a projected life of 120 years. It holds a world record as the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge on earth.

A light show on Monday night celebrated the completion of the biggest infrastructure project in Scotland in a generation.

The bridge will close on Friday so that 50,000 people can walk across it over the weekend before the Queen visits on Monday. It reopens to traffic on 7 September.