However, he said he believed it may take a few days for the positive effect on traffic to become fully evident as the span is bracing itself for an influx of free day-trippers.

The tolls will be removed at midnight on Sunday and bridge authorities are expecting some interest from motorists who want to make their own piece of history by completing the first free trip.

Mr Crerar said it will be pure luck that decides who the first ‘free’ motorist is as drivers will not be allowed to queue on the on-ramps and jockey for position.

He said, “It is the end of an era and it is going to take a bit of getting used to because we won’t have the contact with the public that we had before.

“I think we would rather have kept the tolls because of the contact element, but you have got to move with the times.

“It is a big change for us — it is quite a momentous moment — and I think, initially, there might be a slight increase in traffic but I’m hoping that (in the longer term) we will see that peak period traffic will be relieved in Dundee.

“We don’t envisage any great problems (on Sunday night) unless thousands of people try to get across the bridge.”

Mr Crerar said abolition of the tolls — in place since the bridge opened in 1966 and which netted £3.3 million last year from drivers — had been accepted by employees, albeit with mixed feelings.

He said, “This has been hanging over us for a number of years and, eventually, when the Parliament took the decision there was relief they had actually come to a decision.

“The staff are resigned to it. We have had our discussions with the unions. There are no compulsory redundancies, some of the staff are taking early retirement and three are being transferred to the maintenance section. I think everybody is reasonably happy.”

Drivers using the bridge from Monday will still have a number of new traffic measures to negotiate.

Currently there are three lanes which filter into the toll booths from the Dundee on-ramps, but one of those lanes wil be coned off over the coming weeks.

The two lanes of traffic will be able to pass through the toll plaza unhindered, but cars will have to merge into the off-side lane after around 500 yards on the Fife-bound span because work to repair and replace bridge bearings — which has been ongoing for two years — is yet to be completed.

Further traffic management will be sited at the Dundee on-ramp to allow engineering company Cleveland Bridge to remove the booths.

Mr Crerar said, “We have got a lot of the temporary traffic management in place and on Sunday evening we will put the last of the arrangements in place at the plaza.”