The new bypass at the Haudagain in Aberdeen has opened to cars and is said to be the final step in improving Aberdeen’s congestion problems.
After years of construction and several delays, the new carriageway opened at noon on Monday.
Taking traffic between the A92 North Anderson Drive and A96 Auchmill Road, the £49.5million project is aiming to tackle significant queues and traffic in the area.
An opening ceremony was held to celebrate the opening of the carriageway to the public.
‘It’s going to make a huge difference’
Scottish Government transport minister Jennifer Gilruth attended and carried out the cutting of the ribbon on the new road.
She said: “I’m delighted to be here to finally open the Haudagain improvements. I know that improvements have long been called for and of course work started here back in 2019 so it’s fantastic to be here today to officially open the road.
“I know it’s going to make a huge difference to the lives of the folk who live here I know it’s going to improve journey times and fundamentally it will deliver better infrastructure and connectivity across Aberdeen.”
Is this the end for Haudagain hold-ups?
The infamous Haudagain Roundabout is a well known bottleneck in Aberdeen and was even dubbed one of the worst of its kind in Europe in 2011.
It is hoped the new carriageway will lessen traffic at the roundabout and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
Ms Gilruth said the new project should help improve journey times for locals and those travelling through the city.
She added: “Haudagain roundabout, anyone who has travelled to Aberdeen in recent history will of course have experienced some of the hold ups at the Haudagain roundabout.
“For local community that connectivity is absolutely vital we’ve seen the investments and the difference that AWPR has made. Additionally this is part of the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle.”
Take a tour of new Haudagain bypass
Thanks local residents for patience
While Ms Gilruth was delighted the project was completed, she realised it had not been an easy journey.
Since construction began, the works on the carriageway have been delayed seven times. Several reasons for this include challenges faced due to the pandemic and a burst gas pipe.
The works have caused disruption to those living near the construction site. Ms Gilruth said she appreciated local resident’s patience during the works: “I would like to thank the local community for bearing with us.
“The project has suffered from a couple of delays now but I know the contractors have been working really closely with the local community.”
Prior to ceremony, Ms Gilruth visited the Middlefield Community Project to hear more about some of the community benefits that the contractor, Farrans Construction, has delivered during the construction period.
Examples of this included supplying wood from the construction site to help build things for the local nursery, delivering employability skills in the local community and using refurbished laptops to help provide connectivity.
Calls for the government to ‘step up’ after many delays
Conservative MSP Liam Kerr, who attended the event, said he thought the Haudagain bypass project would make a “huge difference” to Aberdeen.
He said: “It’s a fantastic event to happen in Aberdeen and for the people of the north-east. You know we’ve been waiting an awfully long time for this so it’s really great to see it finally open and basically open up this area that has needed it for so long.”
However, he added the length of time the project took to be completed was a bit “worrying”.
Mr Kerr said: “I think what we’ve seen is that SNP really need to step up a bit quicker on this.
“At last we’ve finally got it open but I think what we need to see is a similar level of urgency prioritising other aspects of the network up here such as the upgrade to the A96 and of course upgrades to the Toll of Birness.”
There are scheduled works being carried out on Haudagain Roundabout tonight by Bear Scotland, however this will not affect the opening of the new carriageway.