Council chiefs have called for clarity on when work on the long-awaited Haudagain bypass will begin.
A £30million link road will be built to take pressure off the controversial Haudagain Roundabout – once dubbed the worst route in Europe – when the long-awaited £750million AWPR is completed this year.
The so-called Haudagain bypass will be financed by Transport Scotland and will allow motorists to drive from North Anderson Drive directly to Auchmill Road.
But last night the council’s roads spokesman Ross Grant said that a start date must now be given with the AWPR coming to completion.
Mr Grant, an Aberdeen Labour councillor, said: “Aberdeen City Council invested £75million into the new AWPR and it is great the first section of the road is finally open.
“We now need to continue with our investment programme and I am calling on the Scottish Government to give Aberdeen City Council a start date for the upgrade to the Haudagain roundabout so that we can work together to bring about much needed transport infrastructure as well as economic regeneration to the Middlefield area of the city.
“The Scottish Government have been speaking about upgrading the Haudagain roundabout since 2008 some 10 years now. It is really important for the city that this piece of infrastructure is carried out sooner rather than later.”
In March, Economy Secretary Keith Brown ruled out bringing forward the project, insisting it would not begin until the delay-hit Aberdeen bypass opens.
But Mr Brown insisted that preparatory work would continue.
A Scottish Government spokesperson could not give any firm start dates but said: ”We made a commitment to deliver improvements at Haudagain once work on the AWPR was finished, and we remain on target to achieve this. We have already seen a significant section of the AWPR open in only the last few weeks and expect the scheme completion in Autumn this year.
“But we have not been complacent with all of the necessary preparation and design work for the Haudagain improvements, with the first advance works contract due to start shortly.
“This will ensure the essential preparatory works are completed to allow the main construction work to progress following the opening of the AWPR.”