They are expected to significantly reduce the current five hours required to transfer vehicles from one bridge to another.
Barriers can be moved across the roadway in five minutes, although traffic redirection will take longer to complete.
The news of the innovation comes after bridge operator BEAR Scotland said it would clean all Queensferry Crossing cables as the next step to reduce the risk of icing following a successful test of a remotely controlled pressure jet on parts of the bridge in November.
This is caused by a unique rise-and-fall problem that creates “ice bombs” when a certain combination of weather factors occurs, including temperature and humidity.
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Bridge manager Chris Tracy told the Cold Comfort Scotland winter maintenance conference: “Automatic barriers will normally be located in the central reserve and at the shoulders and can be automatically opened within five minutes to form a natural bypass route.
“We still have the original crossovers from Queensferry. [Crossing] to the Forth Road north and south bridge, but they are not designed to simply open up and let traffic move.
“The best thing we’ve done so far is five hours to open and run them.”
He later added: “We have already begun purchasing components for the automated barrier system.
“The goal is to have at least the northern side operational by the end of the year.
“However, there are some concerns due to the global shortage of key electronic components and design issues related to the location of the foundation next to the Ineos oil pipeline on the south side.
“While these barriers can be opened in five minutes, it will take longer to completely redirect traffic due to the need to control traffic on the approaches.
Mr Tracy told Scotland on Sunday: “I can also confirm that all cables at Queensferry Junction will be cleared before next winter using a machine that was trialled last November so there is no need for [staff] rope access this time.
“Pressure machine treated cables performed better in ice tests than manually cleaned cables.”
Automotive group IAM RoadSmart said it remains to be seen how efficient the new system will perform.
Neil Greig, its policy and research director for Scotland, said: “We have been saying for years that the old Forth Road bridge is the most obvious departure from the ice-bound Queensferry crossing, so this development is welcome.
“However, the devil will be in the details of traffic management so that drivers can safely and quickly understand and agree on any changes to road layouts.
“It’s also a pity that we had to spend money on a set of sophisticated mobile fences when the problem of ice had to be solved at the design stage of a new bridge.
“Thousands of pounds spent on this system could be better spent on fixing potholes that plague Scottish drivers every day.”
