Description of local environment

Air quality

For properties within 300m of the scheme refer to “Population and Human Health”.

A search of the Air Quality in Scotland online mapping tool records that air quality in the wider bandings to be within the ‘green zone’ (Low Index 1-3).

The Kincardine Bridge is located within both Falkirk Council and Fife Council, who report one Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and no AQMAs within their administrative boundaries respectively. The closest AQMA lies within the Falkirk Council boundary. The “Falkirk Town Centre” AQMA lies approximately 7.25km south of the closest scheme extents and is declared for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter <10 microns in diameter (PM₁₀).

There are twenty sites registered on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) for air pollutant releases in the last 10 years, within 10km of the Kincardine Bridge:

“Avondale Non-Hazardous Landfill, Polmont” – Waste and waste-water management – declared for carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), formaldehyde, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), methane, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), PM₁₀, tetrachloroethane, toluene.
“Bakelite Synthetics UK Ltd, Cowie” – Chemical industry – declared for formaldehyde.
“Black Devon Landfill Site, Alloa” – Waste and waste-water management – declared for methane.
“CHP Plant, Earls Road, Grangemouth” – Energy sector – declared for carbon dioxide.
“Cowiehall Quarry, Stirling” – Mineral industry – declared for PM₁₀.
“Earls Gate Energy Centre, Grangemouth” – Waste and waste-water management – declared for carbon dioxide, chlorine and total inorganic chlorine compounds (as HCl), dioxins and furans (as WHO TEQ), mercury, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂).
“Earls Road, Grangemouth” - Waste and waste-water management – declared for chloroform, and toluene.
“Falkirk STW, Abbots Road, Falkirk” – Waste and waste-water management – declared for methane.
“Grangemouth Chemical Plant” – Chemical industry – declared for chloroform, ethylbenzene, formaldehyde, NMVOCs, toluene, and xylene (all isomers).
“Grangemouth CHP, Boness Road, Grangemouth” – Energy sector – declared for carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂).
“Grangemouth Refinery” – Energy sector – declared for ammonia, arsenic, benzene, butadiene, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), mercury, methane, nickel, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), NMVOCs, PM₁₀, particulate matter (total), sulphur oxides (SO₂ and SO₃ as SO₂), tetrachloroethylene, toluene, vanadium, xylene (all isomers), and zinc.
“Helensfield Poultry Farm, Clackmannan, Alloa” – Intensive livestock production and aquaculture – declared for ammonia
“INEOS Chemicals Grangemouth Ltd, Grangemouth” – Chemical industry - declared for benzene, butadiene, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, HFCs, methane, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), NMVOCs, particulate matter (PM₁₀and smaller), and toluene.
“INEOS FPS Ltd., Kinneil Terminal Grangemouth” – Energy sector – declared for carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), methane, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), and sulphur oxides (SO₂ and SO₃ as SO₂).
“INEOS Infrastructure (Grangemouth) Ltd.” – Energy sector – declared for carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), PM₁₀, and sulphur oxides (SO₂ and SO₃ as SO₂).
“Longannet PS, Kincardine, Alloa” – Energy Sector – declared for antimony, arsenic, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, chlorine and total inorganic chlorine compounds (as HCl), chromium, copper, dioxins and furans (as ITEQ), dioxins and furans (as WHO TEQ), fluorine and total inorganic fluorine compounds (as HF), manganese, mercury, methane, nickel, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), nitrous oxide, NMVOCs, PM₁₀, particulate matter (total), polychlorinated biphenyls (as WHO TEQ), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (four indicator compounds of LRTAP), selenium, sulphur oxides (SO₂ and SO₃ as SO₂), and vanadium.
“O-I Manufacturing UK Ltd Glasshouse Loan Allo” – Mineral industry – declared for antimony, arsenic, cadmium, carbon dioxide, chlorine and total inorganic chlorine compounds (as HF), lead, nickel, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), selenium, sulphur oxides (SO₂ and SO₃ as SO₂).
“Paterson Quarrie, Burrownie Moor Quarry, Alloa” – Mineral industry – declared for PM₁₀.
“Station Road, Cowie” – Paper and wood production and processing – declared for antimony, arsenic, cadmium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, chromium, copper, dioxins and furans (as ITEQ), dioxins and furans (as WHO TEQ), formaldehyde, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂ as NO₂), NMVOCs, particulate matter (total).
“Syngenta, Grangemouth Man Centre, Grangemouth” – Chemical industry – declared for chloroform, dioxane, HFCs, methanol, methyl chloride, NMVOCs, and toluene.
“Tulliallan Poultry Farm, Kincardine, By Alloa” – Intensive livestock production and aquaculture – declared for ammonia
“Versalis UK Ltd, Grangemouth” – Chemical industry – declared for butadiene, carbon dioxide, NMVOCs, and styrene.

The closest of these is “Longannet PS, Kincardine, Alloa”, which is located approximately 2.9km southeast of the Kincardine Bridge.

Baseline air quality within the scheme extents is likely to be primarily influenced by traffic along the A985 carriageway. Secondary sources are most commonly derived from motor vehicles travelling along the adjacent A876, other local network roads within Kincardine and day-to-day agricultural land management and marine industrial activities.

Cultural heritage

The PastMap and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) online mapping tools records several designated cultural heritage assets within 300m of the scheme extents. The “Kincardine” Conservation Area (CA) partially overlaps with the northern side of the scheme extents.

There are approximately 43 listed buildings within 300m of the scheme extents. The Kincardine Bridge itself is a Category A listed building (LB50078). Of the remaining 42 listed buildings, the closest is “Ye Olde House 25, 26 Forth Street Kincardine-On-Forth”, a Category B listed building (LB16598) located approximately 15m north of the scheme extents.

Of lesser concern, there are numerous undesignated cultural heritage assets (UCHAs) within 300m of the scheme extents. Of these, five are located within the scheme extents. These are:

“Kincardine, Kincardine Bridge” National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) site (ID: 361631) which is located to the northeast side of the bridge.
“Kincardine On Forth Bridge” NRHE site (ID: 48119) which is located centrally within the scheme extents.
“Kincardine Bridge” NRHE site (ID: 381077) which is located directly adjacent to the north of the bridge, towards the southern end of the scheme extents.
“Kincardine Bridge” NRHE site (ID: 365160) which is located within the scheme extents at the southern end of the bridge.
“Unknown: Kincardine Foreshore, River Forth” NRHE Maritime site (ID: 147378) which is located at the far southern end of the scheme extents.

The remaining UCHAs lie outwith the scheme extents.

Construction of the Kincardine Bridge road corridor is likely to have removed any archaeological remains that may have been present within the trunk road boundary. The potential for the presence of unknown archaeological remains in the study area has therefore been assessed to be low.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme is not situated within a National Park (NP) or National Scenic Area (NSA).

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) at the northern end of the scheme extents is categorised as “Coastal Flats – Fife” (LCT 196), while the LCT at the southern end of the scheme extents is categorised as “Carselands” (LCT 153).

“Coastal Flats – Fife” is characterised by:

Flat, low-lying, open, large scale exposed coastal landscapes at sea level.
Intensively cultivated, geometrically laid out, large to medium scale, predominantly arable fields or forests with rectilinear, fenced enclosures or without enclosure.
Variety of other land uses, particularly industrial and other built developments, golf courses and other grasslands.
Slightly sinuous or angular roads raised above the fields with stone dykes or open sides.
Isolated, scattered or regularly spaced farmsteads, conspicuous due to lack of screening, in contrast to the designed landscapes which are well screened by policy planting and shelterbelts.
Straight ditches, sea walls and flood banks with small bridges.
Conspicuous landmarks in the flat landscape, such as the large hotels at St Andrews, docks and harbours.
Coastal landscape character always influenced by the sea and views of the sky and the sea.
Typically dominated either by the areas of development or the coast.
Away from the urban areas and forestry it is a large scale, open (and in high winds very exposed), simple, flat, balanced landscape with varied textures and colours and slow movement.
In the plantations it is a small scale, confined, uniform, tended, very calm and sheltered landscape with straight lines, simple patterns and little variation in colours or textures.
Seaward views are invariably extensive and may be extensive across the Flats themselves. Landward, views are generally towards the Coastal Cliffs, Coastal Braes, Coastal Hills - Fife or Coastal Terraces - Fife.

“Carselands” is characterised by:

Flat, open, large scale Carselands of predominantly open agricultural landcover forming the floor and former floodplains of the River Forth, River Devon and Black Devon.
Important as landscape setting of Stirling, Stirling Castle, and the Ochil Hills.
Absence of settlement across the Carselands, restricted to villages on the peripheral slopes and scattered farmsteads along the valley floors.
Periodic extensive flooding continues to influence land use.
Trunk roads run in parallel to the northern and southern perimeters of the Carselands.
Distinct character of group of Hillfoot villages, and their relationship with streams issuing from Ochil Hills within Lower Devon area, as well as major overhead power lines and their pylons.
Recent expansion of settlement boundaries at edge of carse making new development very visible.
Industrial and agricultural buildings, and bonded warehouse on open carseland prominent in views within Lower Devon area
Largest remaining intact raised bog in Britain at Flanders Moss, with international importance for nature conservation.
Importance of Carse of Forth open farmland for flocks of wintering geese.
Open views across carse accentuated by consequent dramatic contrast with the adjacent escarpments of the Ochils and Fintry, Gargunnock and Touch Hills.

The Historic Land-use Assessment (HLA) classifies the land-use within 300m of the scheme extents as:

Rough Grazing,
Rectilinear Fields and Farms,
Motorway and Major Roads,
Urban Area, and
Medieval Town.

The national capability for agriculture classifies land surrounding the scheme as being “Class 3.2” at the northern end of the scheme, and “Class 5.2” at the southern end of the scheme. “Class 3.2” indicates land capable of average production though high yields of barley, oats and grass can be obtained. Grass leys are common. “Class 5.2” indicates land capable of use as improved grassland. Few problems with pasture establishment but may be difficult to maintain.

There are no areas of woodland listed on the Ancient Woodland Inventory within 300m of the scheme extents.

There is one area of native woodland within 300m of the scheme extents recorded on the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland. This area of woodland connects with an area of shrubland/woodland which is spanned by the northern scheme extents. It is characterised as an area of young lowland mixed deciduous woodland which is approximately 0.6ha. It is located approximately 225m north of the scheme extents.

There are areas of shrubland on both the north and south sides of the scheme extents. The area to the south of the scheme extents consists of relatively sparse semi-mature shrubland which borders the A985 and A876 within the immediate surroundings of the scheme extents. The area to the north of the scheme extents consists of much more dense semi-mature shrubland bordering both the A985 carriageway and the railway line which passes below the scheme extents.

There are no trees or areas of woodland specifically protected by a Tree Preservation Order within 300m of the scheme extents (TPO Map). However, all trees with a trunk diameter >75mm, or a height >1.5m, are protected within Fife Council Conservation Areas, such as the one located to the north of the scheme extents.

The Kincardine Bridge lies above a transitional waterbody, with land use at the bridge foundations at the northern and southern extents dominated by agricultural land, transport infrastructure and urban development. The Kincardine Bridge itself, given its historic and listed status is a prominent landscape feature. Views from the bridge are dominated by the Forth Estuary and its coastline.

Biodiversity

Kincardine Bridge spans the Firth of Forth Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar Site within the southern extents of the bridge and has hydrological connectivity with the River Teith Special Area of Conservation (SAC), located approximately 20km upstream.

There are no other European Sites designated for nature conservation i.e. SPAs, SACs, or Ramsar Sites, located within 2km of, or which share connectivity with the scheme extents.

The Kincardine Bridge also spans the Firth of Forth Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (Site Code: 8163) within the southern extents of the bridge.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Skinflats Nature Reserve is located approx. 370m southeast of the compound at the southern extents of the scheme.

In support of the seven-year marine licence Jacobs carried out an analysis of bird data from the past five years from 2020 until March 2025, which included a review of data gathered during Ecological Clerk of Works for the Southern Piled Viaduct (SPV) scheme and data acquired from the British Ornithological Society’s (BTO) wetland bird surveys (WeBS).

The scheme lies adjacent to the “Pow Burn and Estuary Wildlife Site” Local Nature Conservation Site (LNCS). The LNCS is located adjacent to the northbound carriageway at the southern side of the scheme extents.

The NBN atlas holds records of numerous bird species within 2km over a ten-year period. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (WCA), all wild birds and their active nests are protected.

A search of the NBN online mapping tool records the following plant species as listed within the Network Management Contract (NMC) within 2km of the scheme extents (within the last 10-years):

One invasive non-native species (INNS):

Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica).

Four injurious weeds:

Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius),
Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense),
Curled dock (Rumex crispus),
Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare).

One invasive native perennial:

Rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium).

The closest of these records to the scheme extents relates to that of creeping thistle, located approximately 110m north of the scheme extents.

A search of the Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) online mapping tool records no invasive or injurious plant species within the scheme extents.

The Firth of Forth consists of a wide range of coastal and intertidal habitats, including saltmarshes, dune systems, maritime grasslands, heath and fen, cliff slopes, shingle, and brackish lagoons. Extensive mudflats occur particularly in the inner Forth estuary, notably at Skinflats, Bo’ness, Culross and Torry Bay. However, the ecological habitat potential in and around the Kincardine Bridge is somewhat reduced due to a range of anthropogenic pressures, for example, the Grangemouth industrial complex lies approximately 4.5km south of the scheme extents.

An ecological constraints survey (ECS) was conducted by BEAR Scotland on the 1^st of May 2025. It included a walkover survey of the habitat within 200m of the Kincardine Bridge, including the Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) pond which lies approximately 200m southwest of the scheme extents at its closest point.

The habitat surrounding the Kincardine Bridge is primarily the Upper Forth Estuary. This is a transitional waterbody which is a key habitat for a number of bird species, as well as several anadromous fish species. The southern shore of the Forth estuary features a large saltmarsh which is part of the Firth of Forth SPA, Ramsar Site, and SSSI. There are also small mudflats present on both the north and south shores. Terrestrial habitat within the vicinity of the bridge consists primarily of agricultural land on the southern side, and the town of Kincardine on the north side. The north side also features some semi-mature woodland which borders the railway line and footpaths which lie to the southeast of the bridge.

Geology and soils

The Firth of Forth SSSI (Site Code 169840), which is noted for its biological and geological features is spanned by the Kincardine Bridge. The Firth of Forth SSSI is important for the wide range of geology that can be found in the Firth west of the three bridges where the coastline is rockier. The SSSI geological and geomorphological diversity includes an array of recorded fossil deposits, volcanic rocks, minerals, strata exposures and raised beaches, and is notified for:

Lower Carboniferous [Dinantian – Namurian part)]
Upper Carboniferous [Namurian (part) - Westphalian]
Carboniferous – Permian Igneous
Mineralogy of Scotland
Arthropoda (excluding insects & trilobites)
Palaeozoic Palaeobotany
Permian - Carboniferous Fish/Amphibia
Quaternary of Scotland
Coastal Geomorphology of Scotland

There are no other geological SSSIs or Geological Conservation Review Sites within 300m of the scheme extents (SiteLink). Additionally, there are no Local Geodiversity Sites (LGS) with connectivity to the scheme extents.

The Scotland’s Soils online mapping tool records the generalised and major soil type in the southern end of the scheme extents as alluvial soils. The soils to the northern end of the bridge are classified as noncalcareous gleys.

The British Geological Survey online mapping tool records bedrock geology within the scheme extents is classified as:

Scottish Lower Coal Measures Formation - Sedimentary rock cycles, coal measure type.
Passage Formation - Sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.

With superficial deposits of:

Reclaimed Intertidal Deposits - Silt and clay.
Raised Tidal Flat Deposits Of Holocene Age - Silt and clay.

There is no evidence of historical industrial processes or the storage of hazardous materials that could have given rise to significant land contamination.

The works will be restricted to the raised structure of the A985 Kincardine Bridge, or to areas of made/engineered ground where access below the north side of the bridge is required for the North Abutment Refurbishment and Northern Curved Steel Span Refurbishment. No earthworks are required for the scheme. As such, the likelihood of impacts to Geology and Soil features is considered to be limited and Geology and Soils has been screened out of further assessment.

Material assets and waste

The proposed works consist of six different projects.

The primary materials to be used are expected to be, but not limited to:

Steel items such as expansion joints, VRS, parapets etc.,
Concrete,
Waterproofing,
Surface course,
Binder,
Base,
Lamps,
Kerb drainage,
Replacement cable insulation.

Where the value of an individual scheme is greater than £350,000, a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) will be required for the works.

The main wastes produced across all seven projects will consist, of but are not limited to:

Steel (joints, VRS, parapets etc.) (European Waste Catalogue (EWC) Code: 17 04 05).
Concrete, including kerbs and deck drainage (EWC Code: 17 01 01).
Bituminous material (EWC Code: 17 03 02) none of which is classified as hazardous material containing coal tar.
Asbestos – primarily white asbestos (Chrysotile), with some blue asbestos (Crocidolite) (EWC Code: 17 06 01 and 17 06 05).

Noise and vibration

The works do not fall within a candidate noise management area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan (TNAP).

The day-time modelled noise level (Lden) and night time modelling (LNGT) for the carriageway along the Kincardine Bridge ranges from 55 to 70 decibels (dB) with levels decreasing to between 50 and 60db at the nearest noise sensitive receptor (residential).

Baseline noise and vibration in the study area is mainly influenced by vehicles traveling along the A985 trunk road. Secondary sources are derived from vehicles travelling along the adjacent A876, other nearby local network roads and from the railway which passes below the north side of the Kincardine Bridge.

Population and human health

There are numerous residential and commercial properties within 300m of the scheme extents. The closest of these is a commercial property located approximately 15m north of the scheme extents. The closest residential property is located approximately 22m northeast of the scheme extents. It receives minimal screening from the scheme extents as there are clear lines of sight to the property. Several other properties in the immediate vicinity of the northern end of the scheme extents also receive minimal or no screening from the scheme extents. Of note, “Kincardine Health Centre” GP practice is located approximately 285m north of the scheme extents.

There are footpaths located on either side of the A985 carriageway for the full length of the scheme extents. Additionally there are four core paths within 300m of the scheme extents, one Falkirk Council Core Path, and three Fife Council Core Paths. Their details are:

Falkirk Council Core Path 010 “Airth”, which is located within the scheme extents on the southern side of the bridge.
Fife Council Core Path P746/06 which passes below the scheme extents at the northern side of the bridge.
Fife Council Core Path P758/01 which is located approximately 55m south of the scheme extents at its closest point and connects to P746/06.
Fife Council Core Path P758/02 which is located approximately 60m south of the scheme extents at its closest point and connects to P746/06.

The Fife Coastal Path is also located within 300m of the scheme extents. Section 1 of the Fife Coastal Path begins approximately 60m south of the northern side of the bridge and overlaps with Core Path P758/01 within the vicinity of the scheme extents.

Additionally, National Cycle Network Route 76 lies within 300m of the scheme extents. It overlaps with both Core Path P746/06 and P758/01.

There is street lighting present throughout the scheme extents with lamps located on pilasters along the parapets of the bridge out with the swing span.

The Kincardine Bridge is a single carriageway with a speed limit of 30mph applying throughout. The Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is moderate (11,953 motor vehicles (ID: JTC00606, 2026 data)) (Road Traffic Statistics).

Road drainage and the water environment

There are two SEPA classified surface waterbodies within 300m of the scheme extents:

“Upper Forth Estuary” (ID: 200437) is a transitional waterbody with an area of approximately 9.7km². It passes below the Kincardine Bridge within the scheme extents. It was given an overall classification of “Moderate ecological potential” by SEPA in 2024.
“Middle Forth Estuary” (ID: 200436) is a transitional waterbody with an area of approximately 38.2km². It is located approximately 15m south of the scheme extents at its closest point and lies downstream of the waterbody which passes below the scheme extents. It was given an overall classification of “Moderate ecological potential” by SEPA in 2024.

There are seven unclassified waterbodies within 300m of the scheme extents. They are:

“Drain 1”, a drainage waterbody located approximately 15m south of the scheme extents at the southern side of the bridge.
“Drain 2”, a drainage waterbody located approximately 70m south of the scheme extents at its closest point.
“Pond 2”, a pond located approximately 150m southeast of the scheme extents at its closest point.
“Drain 3”, a drainage waterbody located approximately 150m north of the scheme extents at its closest point.
“SuDS Pond”, a drainage pond located approximately 200m southwest of the scheme extents at its closest point.
“Drain 4”, a drainage waterbody located approximately 285m north of the scheme extents at its closest point.
“Drain 5”, a drainage waterbody located approximately 295m southwest of the scheme extents at its closest point. It drains into the SuDS pond.

In addition, there are a number of saltmarsh creeks, some of which have been modified / straightened, within the surrounding land at the southern extents of the bridge which are largely dominated by tidal processes.

A search of the SEPA Flood Map online mapping tool shows that there are no areas of increased surface water flood risk throughout the scheme extents.

The scheme extents lie within the “Airth” (ID: 150441) and “Alloa” (ID: 150536) groundwater bodies. Both were given an overall status of “Poor” by SEPA in 2023 and both have Drinking Water Protected Areas (SEPA).

A search of the Scotland's Environment (SE) determined that the trunk road, within the scheme extents, do not lie within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ).

Climate

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (‘The Act’), and its subsequent amendment under the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, sets the framework for the Scottish Government to address climate change. The Act has an ambitious target to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with any residual emissions balanced by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is five years earlier than the rest of the UK due to the greater potential for carbon sequestration in Scotland.

The Act was amended to replace interim targets with carbon budgets. Carbon budgets are legally binding caps on greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland over five-year periods. In line with the Act, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published advice on the level of Scotland’s four carbon budgets, covering the period 2026 to 2045, recommending what the Scottish Government sets its carbon budgets at for annual average levels of emissions. These recommendations are based on an ambitious but credible route to Net Zero for Scotland by 2045.

Emissions reductions from surface transport are the largest contribution to meeting the first two carbon budgets. The pathway for surface transport emission reduction is primarily driven by the uptake of electric vehicles, in addition to measures to enable a shift from car use to public transport and active travel, which all play a role in reducing emissions from fossil fuel cars. Ensuring efficiency of existing transport infrastructure and improving/providing new active travel facilities is therefore important to support these carbon reduction budgets.

Transport is the largest contributor to harmful climate emissions in Scotland. In response to the climate emergency, Transport Scotland are committed to reducing their emissions by 75% by 2030 and to the above noted legally binding target of net-zero by 2045. Transport Scotland is committed to reducing carbon across Scotland’s transport network and this commitment is being enacted through the Mission Zero for Transport (Mission Zero for transport | Transport Scotland).

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