Still, as The Guardian newspaper noted with pride, “The Firth of Forth will be one of the few major waterways in the world spanned by bridges built in three consecutive centuries.” (The Forth Road Bridge was opened by the queen in 1964, while the Forth Rail Bridge, a wonder of the Victorian age, was constructed beginning in 1883.)

In Britain, a nation obsessed by weather, the Queensferry Crossing is made of hardy stuff and is expected to remain open, regardless of the elements, thanks to its special wind shields.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the queen paid tribute to British engineering prowess, saying, “The three magnificent structures we see here span three centuries, are all feats of modern engineering, and a tribute to the vision and remarkable skill of those who designed and built them.”