Thousands turned out over the weekend to mark a milestone in the north-east’s transport history almost 70 years in the making.
The Go North East road festival, held over a 2.5 mile stretch of the newly finished AWPR at Milltimber on Saturday and Sunday, attracted 14,000 people.
The community event, the first of its kind held on a major new road in Scotland, allowed residents an unprecedented chance to get a close look at the £745 million project before it opens to vehicles.
There were dozens of displays and attractions aimed at celebrating the past, present and future of travel in the region.
Cabinet Secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity, Michael Matheson, praised the locals who have had to put up with disruption while the “game-changing” scheme took shape.
And he said those residents are now “starting to see and experience the real benefits this project will deliver”.
Mr Matheson said: “It has been a wonderful weekend, it was great to see people of all ages enjoying the displays and taking the unique chance to get up close with a section of this impressive new road.
“This festival weekend has been important to us in recognising the patience of local people.
“And the popularity of the event reflects the level of interest in this project across the region.”
The stretch will open to traffic in the coming weeks, with improved journey times and reduced congestion forecast to follow.
Visitors were treated to a display of vintage vehicles supplied by Grampian Transport Museum at the event over the weekend.
The exhibits began with a selection of bicycles dating back to the 19th century, and there was also a gleaming array of cars and motorbikes on view.
Meanwhile, a display of vintage buses from the First Group Heritage Trust brought memories flooding back for scores of visitors.
A display tracing the progress of the road explained that it dated back to 1949, when “an outer ring road” featured as a council planning proposal.