As early as 1923, the need for another crossing to carry motor vehicles was identified, such was the rate of growth in popularity of car ownership. Many studies and plans were presented but the onset of the Second World War meant that it was was February 1958 before the decision was made to go ahead with a new crossing. Work then began in September of the same year, culminating in 1964, with the Forth Road Bridge being opened by Her Majesty the Queen watched by an estimated 50,000 people. The ceremony was marked with a 21 gun salute.

At the time it was the longest suspension bridge in the world outside the USA, in itself an engineering achievement. It cost 19.5M all together to construct, being 1.5miles (2.5km) long, each tower rising to more than 500 feet (156m) Its main cables consist of around 30,000 miles of steel wire with 39,000 tonnes of steel used and 125,000 tonnes of concrete. The main span is 1006m long with the 768 steel hanger ropes ranging in length from as little as 2.4m to 90m. Initially it was a toll bridge recouping money from its users to pay back the Government loan used to help fund the construction. The toll was subsequently removed in 2007.

It is now operated by FETA (Forth Estuary Transport Authority) who look after its daily operating and maintenance. With the huge increase in private car ownership, business cars and the number and importantly the weight of commercial vehicles since the 1960s, the bridge now has an annual traffic flow carrying over 24 million vehicles. Another factor influencing the increase in volume has been the large numbers of commuters who now reside in Fife and work in and around Edinburgh. The Bridge was also showing signs of deterioration within its construction, so the requirement for another Forth crossing was considered and early in this century it was assessed that a Forth Replacement Crossing was required, with a new bridge winning over a tunnel.