The new Forth crossing has been connected to Fife in what has been hailed as an "historic and symbolic moment" for the £1.3bn project.

Engineers working on the Queensferry Crossing closed a 70cm gap between the north deck and the north approach viaduct, meaning the new bridge is now connected to land at the north side of the Forth.

Economy secretary Keith Brown was one of the first people to walk from the land on to the bridge.

He said: "This is a historic and symbolic moment in the building of the Queensferry Crossing.

"We're all witnessing engineering on a truly epic scale on this project, with over 30,000 tonnes of concrete and steel used just to build this part of the bridge.

"Despite the massive size and weight of the bridge, completing the closure between the viaduct and bridge deck is a delicate operation involving extremely precise tolerances for fit up."

The new crossing was originally due to open by the end of 2016 but this was pushed back to May 2017 after adverse weather hampered the project.

It emerged on Friday that workers lost further days due to poor conditions but the team insisted the project was still on track for the revised opening date.

High winds, such as the 45mph speeds experienced on Friday, prevent construction staff from working on the cables or deck lifting.

Transport Scotland's project director David Climbie told STV News unseasonably strong winds had affected 11 working days in July alone.

He said: "We have had more windy days than we'd like. May 2017 is definitely achievable. I can't guarantee it because no one can but it's an achievable date and we have a good plan to do it. We have to execute that plan whenever we can."

The part of the bridge that connects the viaduct with the north deck tower is made up of more than 10,000 tonnes of steel and 20,000 tonnes of concrete, with 46 cables being used to hold it in place.

Forth Crossing Bridge Contractors (FCBC) has installed 22 deck sections on the north tower, with each weighing an average of 750 tonnes.

Mr Brown said: "The progress being made on the Queensferry Crossing and its approach roads continues to demand skill and dedication from everyone involved.

"The Firth of Forth presents challenging weather conditions right throughout the year and I'm sure I speak for us all when I sincerely thank all of those hard-working people for getting us to this point."

"I am pleased to update that, subject to weather conditions, the project remains significantly under budget and on track to open in May 2017 in line with the revised programme and the contractual completion date."

Around four-fifths of the total bridge deck is now in place and the final section of deck was having its concrete deck cast in Rosyth on Friday.

Mr Brown added: "On the roads, two lanes of traffic are being maintained on the A90 despite the significant roadworks under way at Ferrytoll junction.

"On the south side the finishing touches are being applied to the road connection with surfacing and overhead gantries being installed."

FCBC project director Michael Martin said: "The first closure on any bridge project is always a significant milestone. On this fantastic project, this closure represents leading-edge civil engineering," he said.

"Delicate because the tolerances the team were working to were tiny - just a few millimetres either way.

"Happily, it all went very well. We now look forward to the remaining closures in the months ahead."