The cost of a new bridge across the River Don has increased by more than £2.5 million.
Aberdeen City Council had estimated the cost of the new route at £15.5million, but it has risen to £18million.
However, Conservative councillor Ross Thomson said the increase was justified and that the local authority was confident it could meet the cost.
Members of the finance, policy and resources committee yesterday agreed the preferred contractor for the scheme as Balfour Beatty.
Mr Thomson said: “The rise in cost has been justified, and we are quite satisfied with that. We have had to make sure that we can find the additional funding, and we have done that. It is not an upfront payment, it can be paid by the completion of the bridge.
“The people of Aberdeen have waited a long time, more than 30 years, for this, and many thought it was the bridge that would never be built. They can now take comfort that is finally going to start happening.”
It is hoped that the new link – along with the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) and improvements to the Haudagain roundabout – will help to ease traffic congestion in the city.
The scheme will involve the construction of the crossing itself, a stretch of road linking it to the road network north of the Don and the realignment and upgrading of roads to the south of the river.
Work on the new bridge will start later this year and the project is due to be substantially completed and open to the public by late 2015.
It will also involve the construction of a new single carriageway link road between the Parkway/Whitestripes Road junction and the Tillydrone Avenue/St Machar Drive junctions.