The "unsung heroes" who fixed the Forth Road Bridge after a crack forced its closure have been recognised with an engineering award.

The Forth Road Bridge reopening was voted the greatest civil engineering achievement of 2016 by members of the public in the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) People's Choice Award.

Thousands of people voted for the bridge project, which won ahead of 11 other projects including station improvements in Birmingham and Manchester, a 21st-century sewer network for London and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge in Belfast.

The Forth Road Bridge was closed to all traffic for almost three weeks in December 2015 after a crack was found in a truss end link during a routine inspection.

Civil engineers worked around the clock to repair the structure, which carries 70,000 vehicles each day and is a vital connection both for commuters into Edinburgh and between central Scotland and the north and east of the country.

ICE said the engineers' expertise and dedication enabled the bridge to reopen to traffic ahead of schedule and in time for Christmas for all vehicles except HGVs.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon presented the winners, Transport Scotland and Amey, with the trophy at a ceremony at ICE's UK headquarters in London on Monday.

She said: "This prestigious award is significant in that it was voted for by the public in their droves and saw off competition from the rest of the UK.

"The strength of feeling in terms of appreciation, community spirit and respect for those who fixed the bridge is clear for all to see in the thousands of votes cast.

"It is very fitting that the unsung heroes responsible for producing such an innovative solution under intense pressure have been recognised for their efforts."

Andy Milner, chief executive officer at Amey, who maintain and repair the bridge, said: "Amey's full breadth of capability and knowledge was used to reopen the bridge ahead of schedule.

"We feel extremely proud to have been involved and to have received this award."

ICE director Wendy Blundell said: "I'm delighted to see the vital contribution our members make to society recognised by the people who use it."

Other projects nominated included an RSPB scheme using waste from Crossrail tunnelling to create flood protection and a wetland habitat in Essex and an extension to Nottingham's tram network.